WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Friday that the U.S. military conducted its 10th attack overnight on a ship suspected of carrying drugs, killing six people and bringing the death toll in the fight against drug cartels to at least 46.
Hegseth said in a social media post that the ship was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang and that the strike occurred in the Caribbean.
The pace of strikes has accelerated in recent days, from once every few weeks when the strike first began in September to now three a week. 2 of this week’s strikes Attacks were also carried out in the Eastern Pacific, expanding the area in which the military could carry out attacks.
In a 20-second black-and-white video of the strike posted on social media, a small boat can be seen sitting apparently motionless on the water as the elongated projectile falls and causes an explosion. The video ends before the explosion subsides and the remains of the boat become visible again.
In his post, Hegseth said the airstrike took place in international waters and boasted that it was the first time it had been carried out at night.
“If you were a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we would treat you the same way we treat al-Qaeda,” Hegseth said in the post. “Day and night, we map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”
This attack also took place hours after the U.S. military attack. flew a pair of supersonic heavy bombers to the coast of Venezuela on Thursday. The flight is just the latest move in an unusually large military buildup. caribbean The waters off the coast of Venezuela have sparked speculation that President Donald Trump may be a possible presence. attempts to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro’s face Drug terrorism charges in the US
