As he often does, Hegseth shared on X a video showing a ship being targeted and then exploding. The minister describes the two sailors killed as “terrorists.” The operation took place in international waters.
It is the eighth time the US has attacked a suspected drug boat. This time is the first time such an attack has taken place in the Pacific. The previous attacks, which killed a total of 34 people, all took place in the Caribbean Sea.
“Just as al-Qaida waged war against our homeland, these cartels are waging war against our border and our people,” Hegseth wrote on X. “There will be no refuge or forgiveness – only justice.”
There are many questions about the legality of the U.S. attacks. Experts told the BBC that the attacks are illegal. In exceptional cases, a ship can be attacked in international waters, but that does not apply to the suspected drug boats.
The US has also not yet shared evidence that the boats are indeed drug boats and that those on board are “terrorists.” UN experts have already called the attacks in the Caribbean “unlawful killings.”
The U.S. military has established a sizable presence in the Caribbean Sea since August. There are F-35 fighter jets in the area and a total of about 6,500 military personnel. There is also a nuclear submarine in the area.
On Saturday, Reuters news agency reported that for the first time, two sailors had survived an attack on a suspected drug boat. The two were picked up by a helicopter and deported to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador.
