On Friday, the United States affirmed its 10th missile attack on a suspected ship carrying illegal narcotics, killing six people, and bringing the total number of known deaths in the campaign to 43. This move is an indication of a faster pace of operation with three strikes declared by the U.S. government this week.
US forces killed five alleged drug smugglers in strikes on two vessels in the eastern Pacific, under Trump’s expanded anti-narcotics campaign. Colombia condemned the attacks as violations of international law.https://t.co/94OIlMwVUu
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) October 23, 2025
The most recent victims were identified by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as members of the Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua and said the ship was targeted because it was involved in illegal smuggling paths in the Caribbean Sea. Hegseth affirmed that the operation had Presidential approval, repeating the policy of the administration to treat drug traffickers as narco-terrorists, just like armed organizations such as al-Qaeda. In tandem, the Pentagon has also deployed USS Gerald Ford carrier strike group in the southern Caribbean to increase network disruption operations.
The growing campaign is under a lot of legal and diplomatic pressure. The actions have been condemned by regional leaders in Venezuela and Colombia, and the UN human rights experts have expressed fears that the unilateral use of force beyond the evident self-defense can be a breach of international law. The Trump administration continues to argue that the gravity of the domestic drug crisis gives it legal power to continue with the strikes without Congressional approval. The victims are also disputed, with some families asserting that they were fishermen and not traffickers.
You May Like To Read: China Confirms Discovery of World’s Largest Holocene-Era Impact Crater in Guangdong
