US strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat in Pacific Ocean kills two
The strike marks the first known US military operation in the Pacific since launching a new 'anti-drug offensive' that has heightened tensions with Venezuela and Colombia.
A fresh US strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat killed two people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, announcing the first such attack on a vessel operating in the Pacific Ocean.
"There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters. Both terrorists were killed, and no US forces were harmed in this strike, which took place on Tuesday, Hegseth said in a post on X on Wednesday.
The seven previous strikes all targeted vessels in the Caribbean, and with this eighth deadly strike, the number of people killed in such strikes has reached 34.
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,” Hegseth wrote.
He did not provide evidence to support the claim that the vessel was carrying narcotics or identify the group allegedly operating it.
The latest strike comes against the backdrop of a US military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops.
Rights groups have questioned the legality of the operations, arguing that US strikes on drug cartels are pushing the bounds of international law.
Legal experts have questioned why the US military is carrying out the strikes, instead of the Coast Guard, which is the main US maritime law enforcement agency, and why other efforts to halt the shipments weren't made before resorting to deadly strikes.