REPORT: Navy SEAL mission during Trump’s first administration resulted in civilian deaths

This week, a report surfaced regarding civilian deaths during a failed Navy SEAL mission.

Now, I am not naïve enough to think this has not happened under every presidential administration.

What is shocking is that they were able to keep it quiet this long, and Trump’s denial that he was even aware the mission took place.

Failed Missile Strike

At the very beginning of the Biden administration, a Hellfire missile strike went sideways, resulting in 10 civilians being killed. U.S. Central Command, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., explained, "Having thoroughly reviewed the findings of the investigation and the supporting analysis by interagency partners, I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians — including up to seven children — were tragically killed in that strike.

"Moreover, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to U.S. forces."

He concluded, "Our investigation now concludes that the strike was a tragic mistake.”

Wedding Party Disaster

During Obama’s administration, there was another errant strike that took out members of a wedding party.

The strike took place on December 12, 2013, when four Hellfire missiles were fired at a convoy of cars and pickup trucks.

Al-Sane, who lives near the town of Radda, stated, “You cannot imagine how angry people are (about the strike). They turned a wedding into a funeral.”

This was the second time a major strike took out civilians, with another strike taking place on November 3, 2008, that resulted in 37 civilians, including women and children, being killed.

SEAL Mission Gone Bad

I bring up those other missions to show that, sadly, there is often collateral damage in strikes, and it is rarely kept quiet because of the repercussions when the information comes out.

Well, Trump just got hit with a bombshell, with a report surfacing that in 2019, a SEAL team was inserted into North Korea to plant devices to intercept communications while Trump and Kim Jong Un were holding negotiations.

According to the report, SEAL Team 6's Red Squadron surfaced right where fishermen were diving for shellfish. The report stated that SEAL Team 6 had no way to communicate with its commander at the time, so a senior enlisted SEAL team member opened fire, and the rest of the team followed suit, killing every civilian onboard. The SEALs then reportedly punctured the lungs of the fisherman to ensure they would sink to the ocean’s floor.

When Trump was asked about the mission, which likely would have required his direct approval (the nature of the mission taking place inside the border of North Korea would typically need presidential approval), he denied any knowledge, stating, “I don’t know anything about it. I’m hearing it now for the first time.” The nature of the mission would have also required congressional approval. Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III ordered an independent investigation, members of Congress were briefed, but the results of the investigation were kept classified.

If the reports are accurate, this could result in members of that team being charged with war crimes, as they are not permitted to engage with civilians even if mission failure is at stake. Expect this to dominate the news cycle in coming days, especially after Trump renamed the Department of Defense to the War Department. This is not going to go away anytime soon.