US forces struck two more alleged drug trafficking boats off the coast of South America, killing six people, the Trump administration’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has said.
The US began carrying out such strikes – which some experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers – in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. More than 70 people have been killed in the strikes so far.
“Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” Hegseth said.
He added in a post on X: “Both strikes were conducted in international waters and 3 male narco-terrorists were aboard each vessel. All 6 were killed. No US forces were harmed. Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people.”
Hegseth said: “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, Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the US.
The United Nations human rights chief has called the US strikes on alleged drug dealers unacceptable and a violation of international human rights law. Venezuela says they are illegal, amount to murder and are aggression against the sovereign South American country.
The Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, has accused Donald Trump of seeking to topple his government, an allegation the US president has downplayed despite reports of the administration’s close contact with Venezuela’s opposition.
In September, the US built up its military presence in the Caribbean – including a nuclear submarine and a group of warships accompanying the world’s largest aircraft carrier – prompting Maduro to shore up security powers and deploy tens of thousands of troops around the country.
Reuters contributed to this report
