US strikes another alleged drug-carrying boat in the Pacific and kills all 4 aboard, Hegseth says

WASHINGTON AP Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated Wednesday that the U S military carried out another strike on a boat he reported was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean killing all four people aboard the vessel as the Trump administration pursues its divisive campaign against drug cartels in the waters off South America Hegseth who s been traveling in Japan and Malaysia noted in a social media post that intelligence determined the craft was transiting along a known narco-trafficking road and carrying narcotics He declared the strike was conducted in international waters and no U S forces were harmed A video posted by Hegseth shows a boat exploding into flames and smoke The Trump administration has been conducting a nearly two-month campaign in the region while building up an unusually large force of warships that are carrying Marines and aircraft Their presence has fueled speculation that the moves are aimed at ousting Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro whom the U S has accused of narcoterrorism President Donald Trump has justified the attacks on the boats as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States He has asserted the U S is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels relying on the same legal authority used by the Bush administration when it declared a war on terrorism after the Sept attacks But as the number of strikes has grown a debate in Congress has escalated over the limits of the president s power The attacks have occurred without any legal research or a traditional declaration of war from Congress and particular lawmakers have raised questions about the lack of hard evidence to justify the killings The Trump administration has shown no evidence to encouragement its suggests about the boats that has been attacked their connection to drug cartels or even the identity of the people killed in the strikes The strike broadcasted by Hegseth on Wednesday makes it the th since the campaign began while the death toll has grown to at least