U.S. Strikes 2 Boats in Pacific Amid Ongoing Anti-drug Operation

By Brooke Bihl

The U.S. has launched deadly strikes against two suspected drug boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, expanding its campaign against alleged drug trafficking and transnational crime. 

These strikes are the eighth and ninth known attacks U.S. Special Operation forces have conducted since the operation began in early September, bringing the death toll to 37. The first seven strikes occurred in the Caribbean Sea, but this week were the first in Pacific waters.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted videos of the strikes on X Wednesday, saying one took place on Tuesday and another on Wednesday. The two attacks killed a total of five people aboard the boats and occurred in international waters, Hegseth said. 

Tensions are running high between President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro after the Colombian government denounced the strikes, saying the American action was “like applying the death penalty in a territory that is not yours”. The Trump Administration has deemed the strikes as self-defense after labeling several drug gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. Members of Congress are now pressing for more details about the legal basis behind this campaign, with some lawmakers and human-rights groups alleging the U.S. is committing extrajudicial killings. As part of the operation, around 10,000 U.S. troops as well as dozens of military aircraft and ships have been deployed to the Caribbean.