US Strikes Kill Six in Latest Hit on Alleged ‘Narco-Terrorist’ Boats, Hegseth Says
The U.S. military has killed six people in new strikes on what it says were drug-running boats, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday, bringing the total death toll in the campaign to 76. According to CBS News…
The U.S. military has killed six people in new strikes on what it says were drug-running boats, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Monday, bringing the total death toll in the campaign to 76.
According to CBS News, Hegseth said in a post on X that the U.S. carried out two strikes Sunday in international waters of the eastern Pacific, targeting two vessels “carrying narcotics” with three “male Narco-terrorists” aboard each.
“All 6 were killed. No U.S. forces were harmed,” he wrote.
The Defense Department did not identify those killed or provide evidence that the targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States. The operations, which began in September under President Donald Trump’s administration, have drawn scrutiny from human rights groups and experts who say the strikes amount to extrajudicial killings, even if they target known traffickers.
Hegseth said the boats were “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” but did not name the groups.
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