US strikes on alleged drug boats in eastern Pacific kill 6
US defence secretary says two boats were destroyed as calls mounted for investigations into the US strikes
US forces have killed six more people in strikes on alleged drug-running boats, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday, bringing the campaign’s total number of deaths - which critics describe as illegal executions - to 76.
Hegseth, in a post on X, said the United States had carried out the strikes on Sunday in international waters in the eastern Pacific, targeting two boats “carrying narcotics” with three people on board each.
“All 6 were killed. No US forces were harmed,” he said.
As in previous strikes, which began under President Donald Trump’s administration in September, US officials did not release the identities of those killed.
The administration has released no firm evidence that the boats have been smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.
Experts say the strikes, which have taken place in both the Pacific and Caribbean, amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers.