Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the U.S. military has carried out its ninth strike against alleged drug vessels. This is the second strike in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Hegseth equated the alleged drug traffickers to the terror group that conducted the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

With the second strike on a boat in the Pacific, US President Donald Trump has expanded the military campaign in the international waters. At his orders, the US military has so far killed at least 37 persons after declaring them ’narcoterrorists’ — without identifying them or sharing any evidence.