One of the two small boats struck by the US military in the Eastern Pacific, leaving three victims dead on November 9, 2025. Photo: X/@SecWar.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Monday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reported that the US regime bombed two ships in the Pacific Ocean the previous day. He did not specify the precise locations or near which countries’ coasts the strikes occurred.
The information was disclosed in a social media post, where Hegseth stressed that the attacks were ordered by the US president, Donald Trump. The post copied what has become a shadowy template used to inform about these United Nations-labeled extrajudicial killings.
Hegseth stated that the small boats “were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific.” He presented no evidence beyond a blurred video showing the moment of the bombing.
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, two lethal kinetic strikes were conducted on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.
These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and… pic.twitter.com/ocUoGzwwDO
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 10, 2025
He later confessed to the killings, noting that six civilians were murdered because they were presumed to be drug traffickers: “Both strikes were conducted in international waters and 3 male narco-terrorists were aboard each vessel. All 6 were killed. No US forces were harmed.”
Many analysts wonder why the US continues to report that no US troops were harmed, given that the strikes are conducted by drones or missiles against small boats that pose no imminent threat.
These bombings coincide with the US regime’s deployment of troops to the Caribbean Sea under the “war on drugs” argument. They were initiated days after the US Department of Justice raised the bounty against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to US$50 million.
The Trump administration has attempted to portray Venezuela as a narco-state, claiming President Maduro heads the nonexistent Cartel de los Soles, the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, and even the Sinaloa Cartel. On numerous occasions, United Nations reports have demonstrated that Venezuela plays only a marginal role in this multinational crime.
US Military Executes 5 More Civilians, Bringing Death Toll to 69 in 17 Strikes
The nationalities of those killed on Sunday are officially unknown, as the US does not provide records or details of its controversial military operations. Among those reported killed in previous attacks were natives of Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, and Venezuela, along with an Ecuadorian survivor.
So far, 75 civilians have been assassinated during this US Southern Command killing spree, which began in early September. Officials have reported 19 strikes against 23 small boats, as summarized in the table below.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SF
