Hegseth announces 14 suspects killed as US strikes four vessels | US | News
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth explained He said the US hit four ships in the Eastern Pacific, causing 14 casualties.
According to Hegseth In an announcement yesterday, the Department of Defense carried out “three lethal kinetic attacks on four designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) drug-smuggling vessels” in the Eastern Pacific. HE added this U.S. intelligence indicates they “traveled through known drug smuggling routes and transported narcotics.”
The first ship had eight people on board, all of whom were killed in the attack, the second ship had four people, and the third ship had three. There was one survivor.
Hegseth continued: “All strikes were conducted in international waters and no U.S. forces were harmed. Regarding survivors, USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols; Mexican SAR officials acknowledged the situation and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue.”
“The Department has spent OVER TWENTY YEARS defending other homelands. Now we are defending our own homeland. These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them down, set up networks, and then hunt them down and kill them,” Hegseth threatened.
The announcement made on social media on Tuesday indicates that the pace of strikes, which started in early September, continues to increase several weeks apart. This was the first time more than one strike was announced in one day.
Hegseth said Mexican search and rescue officials “took responsibility for coordinating the rescue” of the lone survivor, but did not say whether that person would remain in custody or be extradited to the United States
In an attack in early October that left two people alive, the US military rescued the pair and later returned them to Colombia and Ecuador.
Hegseth posted footage of the attacks on social media, showing two boats moving quickly through the water. One is visibly loaded with a large amount of packages or packets. Both then suddenly explode and are seen bursting into flames.
The third attack appears to have been carried out on a pair of boats standing side by side in the water. They appear to be largely empty, and at least two people appear to be moving about before an explosion rocks both boats.
