Deadly Shift: US Military Strikes Drug Vessel In Pacific, Hegseth Equates Cartels To ‘Al Qaeda’
The U.S. military escalated its campaign against alleged drug-running operations this week, conducting a deadly strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean that killed two people, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The Tuesday night operation marks the eighth such strike against an alleged drug vessel and a notable geographic expansion, with the seven previous attacks all taking place in the Caribbean. The latest casualties bring the total death toll from all strikes to at least 34 people.
Secretary Hegseth announced the action on Wednesday via a social media post and a brief video showing the moment of the strike. The footage depicts a small boat, apparently laden with brown packages, exploding and subsequently floating motionless and engulfed in flames.
In a move that has drawn attention, Hegseth used the post to draw a direct parallel between drug cartels and the terrorist group responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
“Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people,” Hegseth asserted, vowing, “there will be no refuge or forgiveness — only justice.”
President Donald Trump has provided the justification for the military’s actions by claiming the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
The administration has cited the same legal authority invoked by the George W. Bush administration for its global “War on Terrorism” following the 9/11 attacks.
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