Hegseth, his team at the Pentagon and the White House have pointed to Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, commander of US Special Operations Command, as the official who made the decision for a follow-up strike that killed survivors. The incident was at the center of briefings Bradley gave to Congress this week, during which lawmakers were told that Hegseth made clear before the mission that the strikes should be lethal, CNN reported, but that he was not made aware of the survivors until after they were killed, one of the sources with direct knowledge said. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine said at the annual defense forum Saturday that it was his and Bradley’s idea to share information with Congress “so that we could continue to sustain and scale that trust that we must earn every day from the American people.”
Author: Kaanita Iyer, Aleena Fayaz
Published at: 2025-12-06 23:52:36
Still want to read the full version? Full article
