Overview
- Defense Secretary Hegses said U.S. forces carried out three separate attacks on Oct. 27 in the East Pacific, hitting four vessels labeled as drug-smuggling boats and killing 14 crew members.
- One survivor was turned over to Mexican authorities after the strikes, with Mexico taking on rescue efforts and its president calling for respect for international treaties.
- AP, citing a U.S. Defense Department official, reported the strikes occurred in international waters off Colombia, though on-the-ground verification remains limited.
- The Pentagon frames the action as part of stepped-up operations since September, with at least 13 similar strikes reported and a cumulative death toll of at least 57.
- Hegses said the targeted boats were tied to a designated terrorist organization, a claim offered without naming the group as legal and diplomatic questions intensify at home and abroad.