Washington, Oct 28 (EFE).- The U.S. Army killed 14 people after attacking four boats linked to drug trafficking, in an operation in international waters of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Colombia, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reported on Tuesday. "Yesterday, following President (Donald) Trump's instructions, the Department of Defense carried out three kinetic lethal attacks against four vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations (DTOs) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific," wrote the head of the Pentagon on X. Hegseth specified that eight 'narcoterrorists' were aboard the vessels during the first attack, four during the second operation, and three in the third. To the military ships, the submarine, the destroyer, and the combat aircraft, already present, the USS Gerald Ford, the most modern and important in the U.S. fleet, which the Pentagon deployed last Friday and is en route, has been added. 'A total of 14 narcoterrorists died during the three attacks, with one survivor,' he added. 'All attacks were carried out in international waters, and there were no injuries among U.S. forces,' specified the Secretary of War, who insisted that the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) immediately initiated protocols to rescue the sole survivor of the three attacks. 'Mexican search and rescue authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue,' he indicated. Hegseth stated that 'narcoterrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda': 'They will be treated the same way,' he added. This is the eleventh reported blow against vessels supposedly carrying drugs that the Donald Trump administration has carried out since it began its anti-drug operations, first in the Caribbean and then in the Pacific. The U.S. attacks have claimed nearly sixty lives. According to his explanation, U.S. intelligence 'knew about the four vessels' as they 'were traveling on known drug trafficking routes and carrying narcotics.' The attack took place in 'international waters' of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Colombia. This new blow adds another rung to the tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela and Colombia, whose leaders have been accused by Trump of promoting drug trafficking.
