War Secretary Hegseth says strikes were ordered by Trump.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth admitted that the U.S. Army killed 14 people after attacking four boats sailing in international waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia.

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“Yesterday, following instructions from President Donald Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes against four vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations trafficking narcotics in the eastern Pacific,” he posted on X.

“Fourteen narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor. All the attacks were conducted in international waters, and there were no U.S. casualties,” the War Secretary specified.

He also mentioned that the U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) immediately initiated rescue protocols for the sole survivor of the three attacks. “Mexican search and rescue authorities accepted the case and took responsibility for coordinating the rescue,” Hegseth said.

This marks the eleventh attack on vessels allegedly carrying drugs carried out by the Trump administration since it began operations first in the Caribbean and later in the Pacific.

So far, U.S. forces have been responsible for 60 extrajudicial executions in these operations, which are purportedly linked to the fight against international drug trafficking.

The new military strike adds another layer of tension with Venezuela and Colombia, whose presidents Trump has accused—without presenting evidence—of promoting drug trafficking.

Since September, the U.S. has been carrying out a military deployment in the Caribbean that includes warships, a submarine, a destroyer, fighter jets, and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, the most modern and important ship in the U.S. fleet.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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