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'Kill Everybody': Sources Say Hegseth Ordered SEAL Team to Leave No Survivors After Caribbean Strike

Sources with direct knowledge report that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly ordered SEAL Team operators to "kill everybody" during a September strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat off Trinidad. Witnesses say a missile hit the vessel and, after two survivors were seen clinging to wreckage, a second strike killed them in the water. President Trump shared a short clip of the initial blast that did not include the reported follow-up, and the Pentagon has denied the narrative. The claims raise serious questions about rules of engagement and transparency.

02:10 AM, 11/29/2025Security
'Kill Everybody': Sources Say Hegseth Ordered SEAL Team to Leave No Survivors After Caribbean Strike

Sources with direct knowledge say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order during a September operation: "The order was to kill everybody," one person with direct knowledge told reporters.

A missile struck a suspected drug-smuggling vessel off the coast of Trinidad, igniting the boat and sending flames from bow to stern. Commanders watched the burning vessel on a live drone feed; when the smoke cleared, two survivors were visible, clinging to wreckage. According to multiple witnesses, a Special Operations commander then ordered a second strike and the two survivors were killed in the water.

"The order was to kill everybody," said one source with direct knowledge of the mission.

President Trump later posted a short video of the initial strike; sources say the clip omitted the reported follow-up attack. Several people who viewed the live feed told reporters that the full footage would likely horrify viewers and could alter public reaction.

Those familiar with related operations say this incident occurred amid a series of anti-smuggling strikes. In mid-October, one strike in the Atlantic reportedly killed two people while two others were captured and later repatriated. A later set of strikes in the eastern Pacific in late October is said to have killed 14 men; an apparent survivor in that series was left for recovery by the Mexican Coast Guard, and the body was not recovered.

The Pentagon was asked for comment. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell characterized the account as "completely false" and defended the missions, saying efforts to interdict suspected drug-smuggling vessels have been "a resounding success."

The allegations raise urgent questions about rules of engagement, the oversight of special operations, and transparency about what military commanders see in real time versus what is released publicly. Independent verification of the sequence of events is limited; the account rests on multiple unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the operation.

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