Trump administration announces 16th deadly strike on an alleged drug boat Politics Nov 4, 2025 8:56 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yet another deadly strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, coming the same day an aircraft carrier began heading to the region in a new expansion of military firepower.

The attack Tuesday killed two people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to at least 66 people in at least 16 strikes.

READ MORE: All the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats

President Donald Trump has justified the strikes by saying the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are o

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