Was The U.S. Attack On A Venezuelan Boat A War Crime?
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, it's Terry Gross. Before we start the show today, I want to make sure you know it's a special time at NPR because yesterday was Giving Tuesday, and as we like to think of it, this is Giving Tuesday week. NPR celebrates this time of generosity every year, but we've never had a year quite like this one before. You've probably heard by now that federal funding for public media was eliminated as of October 1st. That means NPR is now operating without federal support for the first time in our history. That's more than 50 years. It's a big change and a big challenge, but it's one we can overcome together. You count on Fresh Air to bring you interviews that help us get to know the writers, directors, and musicians who are making their mark on American culture.
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So join us at plus.npr.org. Thanks again for your support, and let's get on with the show. This is Fresh Air. I'm Terry Gross. My guest, Alex Horton, is the reporter who broke the story that's been dominating the news since last Friday when it was published in The Washington Post. It's about what happened on September 2nd when the U.S. military carried out the first deadly strike on a Venezuelan boat in the Caribbean. All 11 aboard were killed. The Trump administration alleged the targets were narco-terrorists and that the boat was carrying drugs, despite providing no evidence. However, two of the crew actually survived the initial strike. They were alive in the water holding on to the wreckage when they were killed in a subsequent strike.
Horton and his colleague Ellen Nakashima reported that the command to kill the survivors was issued by Admiral Frank Bradley, the special operations commander overseeing the mission. and that he was complying with Defense Secretary Pete Hexeth's verbal command to kill everyone on board. But Hexeth's order came before the actual strikes. The Washington Post report led to House and Senate lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to call for reviews of the boat strikes. Some are raising the question of whether this amounts to a war crime or murder. The U.S. military has conducted strikes on at least 20 other vessels of alleged drug smugglers, killing dozens in the last few months. This may be part of the Trump administration's pressure campaign to get Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power and the possibility that the U.S.
could go to war with Venezuela if he doesn't. That's something we'll discuss later in the interview. Alex Horton is a Washington Post national security reporter focused on the U.S. military. We recorded our interview yesterday morning. Later in the day, President Donald Trump and Secretary Pete Hexeth commented on the story during a cabinet meeting. So he spoke to Horton again this morning to get his response to what was said. We'll hear that in a few minutes, but the first part of this interview sets up what happened during the September 2nd attack. Alex Horton, welcome to Fresh Air. I want you to describe the story that you broke on Friday.
Yeah, thanks for having me, Terry. The strike was the first one that the Pentagon undertook in its mission directed from the White House to stop drug trafficking and drug traffickers from bringing their drugs into the United States.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–9:54
2
What happened during the September 2nd attack on the Venezuelan boat?
9:54–11:31
3
What were the U.S. military's justifications for the strike?
11:31–13:37
4
How did the command to kill survivors come about?
13:37–33:25
5
What are the international laws regarding attacks on shipwrecked survivors?
33:25–46:50
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from Fresh Air
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