New US strikes kill 14 alleged drug traffickers, Mexico leads rescue of survivor
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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said four suspected drug vessels were targeted in the latest strikes, and posted a video on X.
SCREENSHOT: X/@SECWAR
WASHINGTON - A series of US strikes against suspected drug vessels in the eastern Pacific killed 14 alleged drug traffickers and left one survivor, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Oct 28, the latest operation in President Donald Trump’s counter-drug campaign.
The strikes in the Pacific come against the backdrop of a US military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine, and thousands of troops.
The administration has ordered the Ford carrier strike group to the region, and it is expected to reach the Caribbean in the coming weeks.
In a social media post, Mr Hegseth said Mexican authorities took over the search-and-rescue operation for the lone survivor from the three strikes, which took place on Oct 27.
“The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics,” Mr Hegseth said, without providing evidence.
Silence on details
Mr Hegseth posted a roughly 30-second video, which appeared to show two vessels close together in the water before exploding.
Another part of the video showed a vessel moving in the water before exploding.
In a statement on X, Mexico’s Navy said it received a request from the US Coast Guard and then carried out a rescue operation about 640km south-west of Acapulco, adding that an aircraft and a vessel were being used to carry it out.
The strikes followed at least 10 others in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, in a campaign that has raised US tensions with Venezuela and Colombia.
Mr Trump has also authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
The Pentagon has provided little information about any of the strikes, including the quantity of drugs the boats allegedly carried and the identities of those killed.
The strikes have raised alarm among some Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they adhere to the laws of war.
Legal experts have questioned why the US military is carrying out the strikes, instead of the Coast Guard, which is the main US maritime law enforcement agency, and why other efforts to halt the shipments were not made before resorting to deadly strikes.
Reuters has previously reported that two alleged drug traffickers survived a US military strike in the Caribbean earlier this month. They were rescued and brought to a US Navy warship before being repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the US is hoping to drive him from power.
Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Mr Maduro’s arrest to US$50 million (S$64 million), accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups which Mr Maduro denies. REUTERS
