Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 23: The US military has launched its eighth strike on a suspected drug-carrying vessel, killing two people in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday. The strike marks an expansion of the Trump administration’s campaign against drug trafficking operations in South America.
According to Hegseth, the attack was carried out on Tuesday night, marking the first strike in the eastern Pacific after seven previous operations targeted vessels in the Caribbean. The latest incident has raised the death toll to at least 34 since the US began its maritime operations last month.
The expansion of the military’s targeting zone indicates a strategic shift toward Colombian waters, from where a significant portion of the world’s cocaine originates. Hegseth likened the Trump administration’s anti-cartel campaign to the war on terrorism declared after the September 11 attacks.
“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,” Hegseth stated.
President Donald Trump has defended the military strikes, claiming that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with international drug cartels and that such criminal groups can be treated as unlawful combatants — similar to policies adopted during the Bush administration’s anti-terror campaigns.
A video shared by Hegseth showed a small vessel loaded with brown packages moving through the water before exploding and catching fire seconds later.
The US administration has so far avoided prosecuting survivors from the targeted boats. Two survivors from earlier strikes were returned to Ecuador and Colombia, though Ecuadorian authorities later said they released one man due to lack of evidence.
The US military has significantly increased its presence in the Caribbean Sea and waters near Venezuela since the summer, sparking speculation over potential action against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces narco-terrorism charges in the US.
While most American overdose deaths are linked to fentanyl trafficked through Mexico, around 75% of cocaine produced in Colombia is smuggled through the eastern Pacific Ocean, highlighting the growing importance of the region in US anti-drug operations.