Trump-Ordered US Military Strike Kills Three in International Waters Amid Drug Trafficking Claims

Original article: Por orden de Trump: EE.UU. asesina a 3 personas en otro ataque letal en aguas internacionales

U.S. military forces conducted a second lethal strike in less than 24 hours against a vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, resulting in three fatalities.

Justifying the operation as part of an anti-drug initiative, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on social media platform X that this latest strike, ordered by President Donald Trump, occurred in the «Eastern Pacific,» targeting a ship «operated by a designated terrorist organization.»

«Today, under President Trump’s orders, the Department of War carried out another lethal attack on a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization (DTO). Once again, the now-deceased terrorists were involved in drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific,» he stated.

He added, «According to our intelligence, the vessel was engaged in the illegal smuggling of narcotics, traveled through a known drug trafficking route, and was transporting narcotics. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the ship during the attack, which took place in international waters. All three terrorists died, and no U.S. forces were injured in this operation,» though he provided no evidence of drug trafficking operations, the exact location of the attack, or the identities of those killed.

Hegseth warned that these attacks «will continue, day after day.»

He emphasized that these are not merely drug traffickers but narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to American cities, justifying the operations without presenting any evidence regarding the ship’s departure or arrival ports.

«These drug trafficking organizations are the ‘Al Qaeda’ of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. We will find them and kill them until the threat to the American people is eliminated,» he stated in a message that included a video allegedly showing the moment the boat was bombed in international waters.

This announcement came just hours after Hegseth reported a first attack in the Pacific, carried out on Tuesday near Colombia’s coast, which resulted in two fatalities.

«Yesterday, under President Trump’s orders, the Department of War conducted a lethal attack on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization engaged in drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific,» he said.

Trump Expands Lethal Strikes from the Caribbean to the Pacific

With these two operations, Trump’s military campaign extends beyond the Caribbean Sea, specifically off the coast of Venezuela, where seven previous strikes had taken place, resulting in more than 30 fatalities.

The Republican administration has defended these actions as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States, with Trump stating it is «a national security issue.»

In contrast, President Nicolás Maduro’s government in Venezuela condemned the American bombings against civilians at sea, asserting that these individuals «were not intercepted — which could have saved their lives — but were clearly murdered.»

They also criticized Washington’s insistence on acting with a «license to kill» and violating human rights, claiming there is no solid public evidence regarding these strikes.

The Maduro administration warns that Trump is attempting to depict Venezuela as a «narco-state» to justify potential military aggression.