US strikes another ‘drug boat’ in the Pacific as it prepares to expand campaign on land in Latin America

American forces have targeted another vessel in the eastern Pacific in an attack that left two accused drug smugglers dead, according to the Pentagon.U.S. Southern Command confirmed the attack in an early Monday social media post. More than 210 people have now died in over 60 strikes during the Trump administration's campaign targeting boats off Latin America’s Caribbean coast and in the eastern Pacific.The statement said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere "executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific." Officials noted that intelligence verified illicit drugs were onboard."We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists — disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region," said Gen. Francis Donovan, who leads U.S. Southern Command.The incident follows an announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the U.S. plans to expand its offensive onto land in several Latin American nations. Speaking during a visit to Panama, Hegseth stated that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras agreed to permit joint U.S. military operations against criminal groups on their soil. Guatemala denied making such an agreement. Ecuador launched similar joint missions with the U.S. in March.It will be “like you saw with the strikes on the drug boats,” Hegseth said during a military drill in the jungle in Panama. “Same effect on land. And so we’re working with Ecuador. We’re working with Colombia. We’re working with partners to bring the fight to the (designated terrorist organizations) on land.”It marks a new phase in the Trump administration’s campaign to pressure governments across Latin America to align with its security priorities and assert what it calls “American dominance over the Western Hemisphere."Voters across the region have increasingly embraced Trump-aligned leaders, giving Washington more willing partners. But critics warn that the widening U.S. military campaign risks civilian casualties and backlash against the U.S. which could outlast the Republican administration.“What's going on is an attempt to legitimize the increased use of the U.S. military in the region,” said Michael Shifter, a Latin America expert at the Inter-American Dialogue think tank. “It projects power, demonstrates military superiority and enables Washington to impose its agenda. This is not cooperation, it’s obviously a very asymmetrical relationship.”