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 position to our shores will find no safe harbour anywhere in our hemisphere, Hegseth wrote on X. Just as Al Qaeda wages war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness - only justice, he added.
A leaked memo recently sent to US lawmakers indicated the administration considers its operations part of a non-international armed conflict with drug-trafficking organizations.
At least 34 individuals have been killed in 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 survivor, Andrés Fernando Tufiño, stating there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
US President Donald Trump and administration officials have justified the strikes as necessary counter-narcotics measures, as many of these trafficking groups are designated as terrorist organizations by the US.
CBS has reported that the strike took place in international waters near Colombia.
This news comes amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and the Colombian government, especially after Trump denounced Colombian President Gustavo Petro as an illegal drug leader encouraging increased drug production in Colombia.
Historically, the US has maintained close relations with Colombia, until Trump claimed the country would no longer receive subsidies.
Colombia and Ecuador have extensive Pacific coastlines used for funneling drugs towards the US through Central America and Mexico, with US estimates showing that the majority of cocaine heading to US cities transits the Pacific.
Despite numerous strikes, US officials have provided little information regarding the identities of those killed or the specific drug trafficking organizations involved.
Approximately 10,000 US troops, along with military aircraft and ships, have been deployed to the Caribbean as part of these operations.
