US forces kill two in strike on alleged drug boat in the Pacific

This is the eighth US strike on alleged drug trafficking vessels near Latin America, the first on the Pacific side.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveUS forces kill two in strike on alleged drug boat in the Pacific14 hours agoShareSaveBernd Debusmann Jrat the White HouseShareSavePete Hegseth on XUS forces have struck a second vessel alleged to be carrying drugs in the Pacific Ocean, amid an escalating US campaign against seaborne drug smuggling.

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said three people on board the vessel were killed and no US forces were harmed. The strike comes about eight hours after the US announced a separate attack on a boat in the Pacific, which killed two people.

Both vessels were known to US intelligence and were believed to be carrying drugs along a known trafficking route in international waters, Hegseth added.

The strikes marks the eighth and ninth US strike against suspected drug boats since 2 September - but the first in the Pacific. Most attacks have been in the Caribbean Sea.

President Donald Trump said he has legal authority to continue bombing boats in international water but said he may go to the US Congress if he decides to expand targets on land.