Washington: The U.S. military has executed another strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in international waters of the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of all three individuals aboard, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced.

According to Namibia press Agency, Hegseth disclosed on social media platform X that the Department of War engaged in a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. The vessel was allegedly involved in narco-trafficking along a known transit route in the Eastern Pacific. Hegseth emphasized the continuous nature of these operations, stating, “These strikes will continue, day after day… We will find them and kill them, until the threat to the American people is extinguished.”

In response, Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the U.S. strike, labeling it as “murder.” Petro expressed uncertainty about the nationality of the vessel, suggesting it could be either Ecuadorean or Colombian. He criticized the U.S. strategy, arguing that it violates international law norms.

Colombia’s Foreign Ministry echoed Petro’s sentiments, demanding an end to these attacks. The U.S. military has previously conducted similar operations in the Caribbean Sea, targeting boats allegedly trafficking drugs from Venezuela to the United States. These operations, beginning in September, have brought the total death toll to at least 37, including those from the latest strikes near Colombia’s Pacific coast.