The US military carried out another attack on a suspected “drug trafficking vessel” in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing four people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. saying – being at least the 15th ship hit in the Trump administration’s two-month campaign of attacks that have killed more than 60 people.
Hegseth posted a video of the ship attack on X. He said the attack took place in international waters and alleged the ship was operated by an unidentified designated terrorist organization. He said no U.S. forces were injured.
The military began attacking suspected drug ships in the Caribbean Sea early last month and expanded operations to the Eastern Pacific in recent weeks. In some cases, but not all, the Trump administration has said The boats were linked to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The administration has promised to continue carrying out the strikes, arguing The United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and gangs in Latin America, many of which the United States has designated foreign terrorist organizations.
“The Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narcoterrorists who bring drugs to our shores to poison Americans,” Hegseth wrote Wednesday in X. “The War Department will continue to pursue and eliminate them wherever they operate.”
Trump has also raised the possibility of strikes against ground targets, saying last week: “The ground will be next.”
The campaign has provoked rejection by some legislators They want more evidence that the targets were actually drug smugglers and warn that it could lead the United States into conflict in the region. Congress has not authorized the attacks, although the Trump administration argues it does not need permission from the legislature.
Venezuela and Colombia have also expressed outrage over the attacks, which are part of a broader military buildup in the Caribbean, involving several U.S. ships and thousands of troops. deployment in the region.
The government has increased pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of associating with drug traffickers, an accusation he denies. An American warship docked in nearby Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend, which the Venezuelan government called a “hostile provocation.”
