ISTANBUL 

US Sens. Roger Wicker and Jack Reed vowed “vigorous oversight” Saturday on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s alleged order to kill everyone on boats suspected of transporting drugs across the Caribbean and Pacific regions.

Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Reed, a Democratic member of the committee, issued a statement announcing they will examine a report claiming that Hegseth gave an order to fire on everyone aboard a boat suspected of drug smuggling in September.

"The Committee has directed inquiries to the (Department of Defense), and we will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances," they said “The Committee is aware of recent news reports and the Department of Defense’s initial response — regarding alleged follow-on strikes on suspected narcotics vessels in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility," it added.

The Washington Post reported details Friday of a military strike near the shores of Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean that resulted in the deaths of 11 people aboard a boat suspected of drug trafficking.

The report alleged that to carry out Hegseth’s instruction, Admr. Frank Bradley gave a second strike order to kill two survivors after the first attack.

A source who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity claimed that Hegseth issued an order “to kill everyone on the boat.”