WASHINGTON, D.C. – A detailed investigative report published by a prominent U.S. news outlet alleges that a covert mission conducted by U.S. Navy SEALs in 2019 resulted in the deaths of several North Korean civilians. The highly classified operation, reportedly approved by then-President Donald Trump, was part of an effort to plant a listening device on North Korean soil during a period of delicate diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang.
According to the report, the mission was undertaken by the elite SEAL Team 6, the same special forces unit responsible for the 2011 operation that killed Osama bin Laden. Their objective was to covertly go ashore in North Korea under the cover of darkness and install surveillance equipment to monitor the country’s leadership. However, a series of operational failures, exacerbated by the requirement for blackout communications, led to an unplanned and tragic encounter.
The report details how the SEALs inadvertently came across several North Korean civilians, who were reportedly fishing for shellfish in a small boat. In a moment of high tension and miscalculation, the U.S. special forces opened fire, killing all the individuals on board. The number of casualties was not specified in the report.
Following the shooting, sources familiar with the mission provided grim details about the alleged cover-up. They claimed the SEALs “pulled the bodies into the water to hide them from the North Korean authorities” and even went so far as to “puncture the boat crew’s lungs with knives to make sure their bodies would sink.” These claims underscore the extreme measures allegedly taken to conceal the incident from both the North Korean government and the wider public.
The news outlet stated it gained knowledge of the mission through extensive interviews with dozens of individuals, including civilian government officials, former members of the first Trump administration, and current and former military personnel with direct knowledge of the events. These sources, all of whom requested anonymity due to the classified nature of the mission, expressed concern that the failures of U.S. special operations are frequently obscured by government secrecy.
When questioned by reporters about the report on Friday, President Trump denied any prior knowledge of the operation. “I could look, but I know nothing about [it],” Trump said. “I’m hearing it now for the first time.” U.S. officials cited in the report noted that it remains “unclear” whether Pyongyang ever pieced together what happened in 2019. North Korea made no public statements about the civilian deaths at the time and has not yet commented on the recently published story.
The report raises profound questions about accountability, military protocols, and the ethical implications of covert operations. The alleged killing of unarmed civilians and the subsequent cover-up, if confirmed, could have significant ramifications for U.S. foreign policy and military conduct.
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