Hegseth Announces New US Military Campaign in Latin America Dubbed ‘Operation Southern Spear’

Hegseth’s announcement came as US officials revealed that the US bombed another alleged drug-running boat in the region on Monday, marking the 20th strike and the 21st boat the US military has blown up since the campaign began in early September. The officials said that the latest strike killed four “narco-terrorists,” a term the Trump administration uses to justify the extrajudicial executions at sea.

According to numbers released by the Trump administration, the latest boat strike brings the total number of people killed in the campaign to 79. The Pentagon has offered no evidence to back up its claims that the boats it has been bombing were carrying drugs, and it has also admitted to Congress that it doesn’t know the identities of the people who have been killed.

The US has been facing growing criticism of the bombing campaign, which is clearly illegal under domestic and international law, but Hegseth’s statement signals the strikes will increase.