The US military performed a strike in opposition to a vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing 4 individuals, in line with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth stated in a post on X. He added that US forces weren’t harmed.
Wednesday’s motion marks the 14th identified US military strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel. The operations have killed 61 people aboard 15 total boats.
The Trump administration has been accelerating its assaults in opposition to boats that they allege are concerned in drug trafficking. Last week, the administration struck two boats in the japanese Pacific Ocean, which appeared to mark an growth of its marketing campaign as earlier strikes had focused vessels in the Caribbean Sea.
NCS’s Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.