US forces have struck another vessel alleged to be carrying drugs, this time in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Pentagon has confirmed.
According to defense secretary Pete Hegseth, two people on board the vessel were killed. No US forces were harmed.
The vessel was known to US intelligence and was believed to be carrying drugs along a known trafficking route in international waters, Hegseth added.
The strike marks the eighth US strike against suspected drug boats since September 2 - but the first in the Pacific.
Video of the strike appears to show a long, blue speed boat moving through the water before being struck by US ordinance.
Narco-terrorists intending to bring drugs to our shores will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere, Hegseth wrote on social media. Just as Al Qaeda wages war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people.
In a leaked memo recently sent to US lawmakers, the Trump administration stated it was engaged in a non-international armed conflict with drug-trafficking organizations.
At least 34 people have been killed in the American strikes on alleged drug boats, including a recent strike on a semi-submersible vessel in the Caribbean.
Two men survived a strike last week, and were repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador. Ecuador's government later released one identified as Andrés Fernando Tufiño, asserting there was no evidence of wrongdoing. The other man from Colombia reportedly remains hospitalized.
US President Donald Trump and administration officials have repeatedly justified the strikes as necessary counter-narcotics measures against organizations many have designated as terrorist groups.
Sources indicate the strike occurred in international waters near Colombia.
News of the strike comes amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Trump recently denounced Petro as a illegal drug leader, accusing him of facilitating drug production in Colombia.
Both Colombia and neighboring Ecuador have significant Pacific coastlines utilized for drug trafficking to the US.
US estimates from the Drug Enforcement Administration indicate that most cocaine destined for US cities passes through the Pacific, with a notable increase in drug seizures.
So far, US officials have provided limited information about the identities of those killed in the strikes or their affiliations with drug trafficking organizations.
About 10,000 US troops, along with numerous military aircraft and ships, have been deployed to the Caribbean as part of the operation.
