United States military forces have conducted two lethal strikes in the eastern Pacific, resulting in six fatalities according to defence secretary Pete Hegseth. The operations targeted vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking activities.
Details of the Controversial Operations
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that six individuals were killed during two separate military actions against suspected drug smuggling vessels. In a statement posted on social media platform X, Hegseth stated that both strikes occurred in international waters and claimed all casualties were "male narco-terrorists."
"Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," Hegseth announced. He further elaborated that three individuals were aboard each vessel, with all six perishing in the operations.
Escalating US Anti-Drug Campaign
The Trump administration has significantly intensified its campaign against drug trafficking organisations since early September. These recent strikes form part of a broader pattern of military actions targeting vessels in both the Caribbean and eastern Pacific regions.
Hegseth defended the operations, stating: "These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific."
However, the administration has faced criticism for not providing concrete evidence that the targeted vessels were actually smuggling narcotics or posed a direct threat to United States security. Some legal experts have raised concerns that such strikes could constitute extrajudicial killings, even if they successfully target known traffickers.
International Response and Legal Questions
The defence secretary emphasised that no American forces were harmed during the operations and reiterated the administration's commitment to "protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people."
Despite these assurances, the lack of publicly available evidence supporting the classification of the victims as "narco-terrorists" has generated international scrutiny. The strikes occur against a backdrop of increasing US military involvement in counter-narcotics operations beyond its territorial waters.
This incident follows previous controversial strikes that have drawn criticism from human rights organisations and regional governments concerned about the escalation of US military actions in international waters.
