Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has called alleged drug boats the ‘Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere’ as he shared a video of a boat being destroyed in a military strike.
The US military on Wednesday launched itsninth strike against an alleged drug-carrying boat, killing three people in the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hegseth said, expanding the Trump administration’s campaign against drug trafficking in South America.
It followed another strike Tuesday night, also in the eastern Pacific, that killed two people, Hegseth posted on social media hours earlier. The attacks were departures from the seven previous U.S. strikes that had targeted vessels in the Caribbean Sea. They bring the death toll to at least 37 from attacks that began last month.
The strikes represent an expansion of the military’s targeting area as well as a shift to the waters off South America where much of the cocaine from the world’s largest producers is smuggled.
A short video clip released by Hegseth shows a small boat partially loaded with brown packages moving across the water. Moments into the footage, the boat erupts in flames and is left floating motionless and burning on the surface.
Part of the wider justification of the strikes against the boats is declaring them members of Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTOs).
Sharing a video of the strike, Hegseth wrote: “These strikes will continue, day after day. These are not simply drug runners—these are narco-terrorists bringing death and destruction to our cities. These DTOs are the ‘Al Qaeda’ of our hemisphere and will not escape justice. We will find them and kill them, until the threat to the American people is extinguished.”
In his statement, Hegseth made the unusual comparison between the suspected drug traffickers and the terror organization responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“Just as Al Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people,” Hegseth declared, emphasizing that “there will be no refuge or forgiveness-only justice.”
Republican President Donald Trump has justified the strikes by asserting that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and proclaiming the criminal organizations unlawful combatants, relying on the same legal authority used by President George W. Bush’s administration for the war on terrorism.
Asked about the latest boat attack, Trump insisted that “we have legal authority. We’re allowed to do that.” He said similar strikes could eventually come on land.
“We will hit them very hard when they come in by land,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’re totally prepared to do that. And we’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when we come to the land.”
Lawmakers from both political parties have expressed concerns about Trump ordering the military actions without receiving authorization from Congress or providing many details.
Appearing alongside Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended such strikes, saying, “If people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.”