President Donald Trump spoke during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth present. On Tuesday, the U.S. military carried out an attack on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, accusing it of drug smuggling. This resulted in one death and two survivors. The Trump administration has been targeting alleged traffickers in Latin America for several months.
The recent strike increases the total deaths from U.S. military boat attacks to at least 208 since early September, when the administration started focusing on individuals labeled as ‘narcoterrorists.’ U.S. Southern Command stated these actions were against traffickers operating in known routes. The military didn’t present evidence showing the vessel carried drugs.
A video uploaded on X showed the boat traveling before being struck, leading to an explosion. Southern Command promptly informed the U.S. Coast Guard to initiate a Search and Rescue operation for the survivors.
President Trump declared the U.S. is in ‘armed conflict’ with Latin American cartels, justifying the attacks as crucial to reducing drug flow into the country and decreasing overdose fatalities. Nonetheless, the administration has barely substantiated claims of neutralizing ‘narcoterrorists.’
Some critics, including Democratic lawmakers and military legal scholars, have raised doubts about the legality and effectiveness of these strikes. Notably, fentanyl, often linked to overdose deaths, typically enters the U.S. via Mexico, transported from China and India overland.
The first strike in early September caused particular unease. Two survivors of an initial attack, where nine others died, clung to debris when the vessel faced a second strike, which killed them. The White House confirmed this follow-up, asserting it was ‘self-defense’ and adhered to armed conflict laws. However, legal experts argue that such a strike against survivors would generally be illegal, regardless of conflict status.
The Pentagon’s inspector general announced plans to investigate if the military’s actions followed a set targeting framework, known as the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle. However, the inquiry will not address the legality of the strikes, as stated by the inspector general’s office.