The US has carried out another military strike in the Caribbean, destroying a suspected drug-smuggling vessel and killing six people onboard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday (October 24) announced another American military strike in the Caribbean, saying American forces destroyed a vessel allegedly involved in drug trafficking, killing six people onboard.
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said in a social media post.
He added, “Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters — and was the first strike at night. All six terrorists were killed and no US forces were harmed in this strike.”
A short video released by Hegseth showed a boat exploding at sea after being hit by military ordnance.
The Trump administration has launched several such strikes since September 3, when the president released footage of the first attack on a suspected drug vessel. These operations — conducted across the Caribbean and off the Pacific coast of South America — have drawn criticism from civil rights groups and regional governments for lack of transparency.
Hegseth said the latest target was “a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.”
While the administration has labeled gangs like Tren de Aragua as terrorist groups, legal experts argue this does not automatically grant the president additional authority to use lethal force. White House officials maintain Trump is acting under Article 2 of the US Constitution, which allows limited military action for national self-defense.
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