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At least 14 people were killed during the latest U.S. military strikes against four alleged drug vessels in the Eastern Pacific, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a post shared on his X account Tuesday (October 28) morning.
"Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific," Hegseth wrote in the post, which also included 'unclassified' footage. "The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics. Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed. Regarding the survivor, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue. The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them."
At least 51 people have been killed in several U.S. military strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean in recent weeks, according to the BBC. The strikes have come amid heightened tension between President Donald Trump's administration and the governments of Colombia and Venezuela.