The latest US strikes on alleged drug boats kill 6 in the eastern Pacific

WASHINGTON AP Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday reported the latest in a series of strikes on boats accused of ferrying drugs killing six people in attacks on two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean Related Articles Flight cancellations and delays worsen as leadership shutdown drags on Currently in History November storm sends freighter to the bottom of Lake Superior Senate moves toward compromise regulation to end governing body shutdown Donald Trump booed as the st sitting US president at a regular-season NFL championship since Carter in Top BBC bosses resign after criticism of the broadcaster s editing of a Trump speech The dual strikes on Sunday bring the total number of known attacks up to and the death toll to at least people since the Trump administration launched a campaign against drug trafficking in South American waters that multiple see as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling were carrying narcotics and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit track Hegseth posted on social media The Trump administration has provided no evidence for its assertions and lawmakers including Republicans have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth met with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who oversee national protection issues last week providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes While Democrats declared it wasn t enough Senate Republicans voted a day later to reject measure that would have put a check on President Donald Trump s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization The strikes began in early September and have targeted vessels largely in the Caribbean Sea but have increasingly shifted to those in the eastern Pacific where much of the cocaine from the world s largest producers is smuggled The Trump administration also has build up a massive military force in South American waters including ordering an aircraft carrier to the region Trump has justified the strikes by saying the United States is in armed conflict with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations that are flooding America s cities with drugs The strikes and military footprint have raised speculation about an effort to oust Maduro who has been charged with narcoterrorism in the United States The Venezuelan leader has explained the U S leadership is fabricating a war against him In the latest strikes Hegseth posted a video as has become customary showing one boat floating before exploding in a fireball The footage cuts to what appears to be another boat moving through the water and it looks to be carrying packages There is a blast and flames and smoke pour from the boat