The Pentagon has marked another milestone in its campaign against alleged drug trafficking operations, carrying out its 20th strike on a suspected narco vessel earlier this week. According to a Defense Department official, this operation resulted in the deaths of four individuals, with no survivors reported.
“This operation took place in the Caribbean,” the official stated in a statement to CNN on Thursday, confirming the lethal outcome of the strike.
Despite these aggressive actions, officials from the Trump administration have admitted that the identities of those on board such vessels are not always known prior to these strikes. This raises questions about the intelligence used in targeting decisions.
The recent strike occurred on Monday, adding to a series of operations announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Just before this, two additional strikes were conducted on Sunday, targeting vessels with three people each. These actions, as Hegseth shared on X, resulted in six fatalities.
The 20th strike, initially reported by CBS News, underscores the ongoing intensity of the U.S. military’s efforts, bringing the total number of individuals killed in these operations to 80. This sustained campaign highlights the Pentagon’s commitment to combating drug trafficking by targeting these suspected narco-terrorist activities at sea.
The attack brings the total number of people killed by the US military’s strikes on the alleged drug boats to 80.
CNN has reported that the military is using a variety of fighter jets, drones, and gunships to carry out the strikes in the campaign officials say is meant to disrupt the flow of drugs into the US.
The Justice Department has told Congress the administration does not need its approval to carry out the strikes, which some experts have said could violate US and international law.
The ongoing campaign has also begun to surface tensions with allies; the United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence with the US about suspected drug trafficking vessels to avoid being complicit in the strikes, CNN reported this week, which the UK believes are illegal.
The president of Colombia also said this week that he had ordered his country to suspend intelligence sharing with the US until the attacks stop.
