US kills three in second attack on suspected drug boats in Pacific

The US military has attacked a second vessel suspected of carrying drugs in the Pacific Ocean amid a growing US campaign against maritime drug-trafficking.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said three people were killed in Wednesday’s attack and no U.S. forces were harmed. It came hours after the US rammed another boat in the Pacific, killing two people.

Colombia’s government has condemned the US for attacking ships near its coast, saying the US action is “akin to imposing a death sentence on a territory that is not yours”.

Wednesday’s strikes were the first in Pacific waters, as most of the previous attacks were in the Caribbean.

“These strikes will continue day after day. These are not just drug runners – these are narco-terrorists who bring death and destruction to our cities,” Hegseth posted on X.

In this post, a boat caught fire after being hit by an American bomb, along with a video.

The floating objects then appear in the water, before being targeted by a second airstrike.

Colombia’s deputy foreign minister, Mauricio Jaramillo, said the strikes were “unjust and outside international law”.

He told the BBC’s Newsday program that those on board had “no chance of defending themselves”.

He added that there was “no process, no court order” and called on the US to cooperate with Colombia in the fight against drug trafficking instead.

US President Donald Trump has said he has the legal right to continue bombing boats in international waters, but he could go to the US Congress if he decides to expand the targets to include targets on land.

He said his administration was “absolutely ready” to expand anti-narcotics operations on the ground, which would lead to a significant increase.

The extent of these attacks in the Pacific Ocean is significant. In the sense that it is more of a drug-trafficking sea route than the Caribbean, the strike seems more consistent with US justification.

However, it is still believed that these strikes are not only about drug trafficking, but also about military pressure on the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

He is a longtime foe of Donald Trump who has accused him of being the leader of a drug-trafficking organization, which he denies.

At least 37 people have been killed in US attacks on suspected drug boats, including a recent attack on a semi-submersible vessel in the Caribbean.

Two men survived that strike last week and were flown back to Colombia and Ecuador.

The Ecuadorian government later published it nationally – identified as Andres Fernando Tufino – said there was no evidence of wrongdoing. Another man in Colombia is hospitalized.

Both Colombia and neighboring Ecuador have Pacific coastlines that experts say are used to smuggle drugs into North America via Central America and Mexico.

US estimates from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicate that the vast majority of cocaine bound for US cities passes through the Pacific.

Drug seizures in the Caribbean — where the bulk of confirmed U.S. strikes have so far taken place — make up a relatively small percentage of the total, though U.S. officials say it is increasing.

To date, U.S. officials have released few details about the identities of those killed in the strikes or the drug trafficking organizations they belonged to.

About 10,000 US troops, as well as dozens of military aircraft and ships, have been deployed to the Caribbean as part of the operation.