WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Monday it launched attacks on three vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Pacific that left a total of eight people dead, as scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s administration’s military campaign against drug trafficking intensifies in Congress.
He added in a statement posted on social media that the attacks were against “designated terrorist organizations.” They left three dead in the first boat, two in the second and three in the third. He did not present evidence of alleged drug trafficking, but published a video in which one of the boats can be seen before it exploded.
Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stop the flow of drugs into the United States, stating that the country is in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels.
But the White House faces growing scrutiny from lawmakers over the campaign, which has left at least 95 people dead in 25 known attacks since early September, including a follow-up attack that claimed the lives of two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first impact.
The latest attacks come on the eve of briefings on Capitol Hill for all members of Congress, and as questions mount about the administration’s military campaign.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top national security officials are scheduled to hold closed-door briefings for lawmakers.
The campaign has intensified pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the United States accuses of narcoterrorism. In a significant escalation last week, US forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration said was smuggling illicit crude. Maduro has insisted that the true purpose of US military operations is to force him from office.
The United States Armed Forces have increased their presence in the region to levels not seen in several decades. Trump says there could be ground attacks soon, but has offered no details on the location.
This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
