The United States carried out another strike on a suspected drug-smuggling boat on Wednesday, killing three men in the second strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean in two days, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

It was the ninth known U.S. attack on a suspected drug boat since September 2. Seven of the nine strikes have targeted boats in the Caribbean .

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has made combating the opioid crisis, particularly the influx of illicit fentanyl, a central focus of his administration's policies but the strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and now the Pacific, have prompted strong condemnation from regional governments and some U.S. lawmakers, reigniting debate over the scope of presidential war powers and the role of U.S. military fo

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