US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced yet another deadly strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, coming the same day an aircraft carrier began heading to the region in a new expansion of military firepower.

The attack Tuesday killed two people aboard the vessel, Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from the Trump administration’s campaign in South American waters up to at least 66 people in at least 16 strikes.

US President Donald Trump has justified the strikes by insisting the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organisations. The administration has not provided evidence or more details.

“We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens,” Hegseth said.

Lawmakers from both parties have pressed the administration for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the strikes.