Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the U.S. military carried out its second strike in the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday on a vessel he said was part of a terrorist organization engaged in “narco-trafficking.” Like previous operations, this strike was approved by President Donald Trump.

“Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out yet another lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO),” Hegseth posted on X. “Yet again, the now-deceased terrorists were engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.”

“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and was carrying narcotics,” he said. 

Three people were reportedly killed in the strike in international waters. This operation was carried out just hours after Hegseth announced the military’s first strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean. He added that the boat was operating on a commonly known drug-trafficking route and was “carrying narcotics.” He likened those involved in the illegal narcotics operations to “Al Qaeda.” Hegseth also warned that such strikes would continue until those trying to smuggle drugs into the U.S. halt their operations. 

“These strikes will continue, day after day,” posted the war secretary. “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.”

The latest strike is believed to be the ninth by the U.S. military against suspected drug-trafficking vessels since Trump’s second term began in January. Earlier on Wednesday, two people were killed in the first U.S. operation in the eastern Pacific Ocean. 

Seven military strikes on suspected drug smugglers have occurred in the Caribbean Sea, with all but one being from Venezuela. The other strike targeted a vessel believed to have been operated by the Colombian terrorist organization, Ejército de Liberación Nacional. 

Since operations targeting suspected drug traffickers began over the summer, over 30 people have been reportedly killed in the U.S. military strikes ordered by Trump.