US Eighth Pacific Strike Kills Two, Sparks Scrutiny

The U.S. military carried out its eighth strike on an alleged drug‑trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific off Colombia, killing two people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said. Hegseth released video showing the boat explode and said the strike was ordered by President Trump, targeted a designated terrorist organization engaged in narco‑trafficking, and invoked wartime legal authority, labeling operatives “narco‑terrorists.” The action marks a geographic expansion from prior strikes in the Caribbean off Venezuela and comes amid a broader U.S. military buildup in the region, including warships, B‑52 flights and special‑operations deployments. The new strike raised the reported death toll from the series to at least 34. The administration has not publicly produced detailed evidence supporting its trafficking claims, prompting criticism from U.S. lawmakers and diplomatic complaints from Venezuela and Colombia and fueling questions about legal justification and oversight. Footage and official statements show small boats carrying suspected narcotics being targeted, and survivors from earlier strikes have been repatriated without prosecutions.