US attacks suspected drug ship in Pacific Ocean on orders from President Trump
The U.S. military has attacked a ship suspected of using drugs in the Pacific Ocean. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump ordered the attack.
On October 21, the United States attacked another ship believed to be carrying drugs in South American waters, killing two crew members, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed.
The airstrike is the eighth known attack on a drug smuggling vessel since military operations against drug cartels intensified in September. The previous seven events took place in the Caribbean, but this time it took place in the Pacific Ocean.
Hegseth said in a social media post that the attack occurred at the direction of President Donald Trump and affected a boat operated by a designated terrorist organization. Although he did not name the terrorist organization, he likened drug traffickers to al-Qaeda.
“Our information indicates that this vessel was involved in illegal drug smuggling and was traveling along known drug trafficking routes, transporting drugs,” Hegseth wrote. “During the attack, there were two narco-terrorists on board… Both terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this attack.”
Just a few days ago, on October 19th, the Pentagon announced that it had carried out airstrikes alleging that it was affiliated with a terrorist organization. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the attack had nothing to do with the drug trade and hit a distressed boat carrying fishermen.
President Donald Trump’s administration has increased the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean in recent months and allowed the CIA to operate inside Venezuelan territory. The admiral who oversees the region’s military also announced his early retirement on October 16th.
Legal experts have questioned why the U.S. military carried out the attack rather than the Coast Guard, the nation’s main maritime law enforcement agency, and why other efforts were not tried to stop the shipment before the U.S. resorted to deadly attacks.
President Trump has accused the Venezuelan government and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, of intentionally flooding migrants into the United States and supporting drug cartels.
Contributed by: Reuters
