The U.S. military carried out an operation against four vessels linked to narco-terrorist smugglers in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Army Secretary Pete Hegseth reported that the incident took place on Monday, resulting in the deaths of 14 terrorists, with one individual surviving.
In a post on social media platform X, Secretary Hegseth indicated that these operations—ordered by President Donald Trump—consisted of three separate attacks. He detailed that, “In the first attack, there were 8 male narco-terrorists on the ship. In the second attack, 4 male narco-terrorists were present. In the third attack, 3 were on board. In total, 14 were killed, with one survivor. All incidents occurred in international waters, with no U.S. military casualties.”
For the immediate aftermath, U.S. forces from USSOUTHCOM executed a standard search and rescue operation, finding one survivor, according to Hegseth. The responsibility for the operation shifted to the Mexican military afterward.
Hegseth also shared video footage showcasing the attacks, which depicted destruction from U.S. military aircraft. Some clips illustrated two ships being hit simultaneously, while others showed a heavily loaded vessel speeding before being destroyed.
He elaborated further, stating, “The Department of Defense has spent over 20 years defending other countries. Now, we are defending our own homeland. These narco-terrorists have caused more American deaths than al-Qaeda, and they will face similar consequences. We will pursue them, connect with organizations tracking them, and eliminate the threat.”
While Hegseth did not specify the exact location of the airstrikes, a recent post in Spanish by the Mexican Navy indicated that the search for the survivor started at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard, with the initial search area being around 400 miles southeast of Acapulco. Ongoing efforts include maritime patrol vessels and aviation units.
This latest attack marks the 14th military operation against drug smuggling ships since President Trump initiated actions against narco-terrorists in early September. Just a week prior, another airstrike occurred off the coast of Colombia in the eastern Pacific, representing a shift from previous Caribbean-focused operations.
So far, U.S. military actions directed at these smugglers in both the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific have resulted in approximately 57 narco-terrorists being killed.
Upon taking office, President Trump signed a directive titled “Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organizations.” This order identified various cartels, including the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and Gulf Cartel, among others, as foreign terrorist organizations.
