White House officials announced on Wednesday that the military struck another alleged drug boat. They said the mission was conducted Tuesday night in the eastern Pacific Ocean, marking the first such operation in that area.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack killed two people. The Trump administration’s missions targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels have killed at least 34 people.
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Hegseth released a video on social media showing the boat moments before the attack. In it, a small boat filled with brown packages moves across the water before exploding into a fireball seconds later.
He said military intelligence confirmed the boat was trafficking narcotics. Hegseth also compared the recent attacks on suspected drug trafficking vessels to the war on terror.
“Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness—only justice,” he said in his post.
How many similar attacks has the military conducted?
The U.S. has announced seven prior attacks similar to Tuesday’s. On Sunday, Hegseth announced the military killed three suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean. In his post announcing the attack, he also referenced Al Qaeda.
“These cartels are the Al Qaeda of the western hemisphere.” He added, “They will be hunted and killed, just like Al Qaeda,” he wrote.
The military said on Thursday that a different attack on a suspected drug trafficking vessel resulted in the capture of two people. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would return the two individuals to Colombia and Ecuador.
Criticisms by Venezuela
Venezuela has criticized the recent attacks, with officials saying the U.S. is trying to force regime change. On Oct. 10, Venezuela’s United Nations ambassador, Samuel Moncada, asked the U.N. Security Council for an emergency session to discuss the Trump administration’s military actions.
In a letter to the council, Moncada also said the U.S. would conduct an “armed attack” on Venezuela in “a very short time.”
This is a developing story, and more information will be added as it becomes available.
