According to the Pentagon chief on Wednesday, the U.S. military executed another strike in the Eastern Pacific, targeting individuals he identified as terrorists involved in narcotics trafficking.
Hegseth stated that three suspected narco-terrorists were killed in the strikes, which were ordered by the President.
Hegseth reported that the Pentagon conducted “another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Once again, the deceased individuals were engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.”
He added, “Our intelligence indicated that the vessel was involved in illegal narcotics smuggling, traveling along a known drug-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. Three male narco-terrorists were on board during the strike, which took place in international waters. All three terrorists were killed, and no U.S. forces were injured.”
Since September, this marks the ninth vessel strike and the second in the Eastern Pacific. A total of 37 individuals have reportedly been killed, while two survived and were later returned to their home countries.
“These strikes will continue,” Hegseth affirmed on Wednesday. “These are not merely drug runners but narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the ‘Al Qaeda’ of our hemisphere and will face justice. We will find and eliminate them until the threat to the American people is gone.”
The administration has not released the identities of those killed or provided evidence of drugs on board.
The Trump administration has faced scrutiny regarding these strikes, including from Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has voiced concerns about the lack of due process and the potential for harming innocent individuals.
In a recent interview, Paul referenced Coast Guard statistics indicating that a significant percentage of boats boarded on suspicion of drug trafficking are found to be innocent.
The senator has also argued that if the administration intends to engage in a war with Venezuela, as suggested by the recent targeting of boats allegedly transporting drugs for the Venezuela-linked Tren de Aragua gang, it must obtain a declaration of war from Congress.
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