 "FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo")
The United States has carried out strikes on four suspected drug-running vessels in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 people, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday.
He said one survivor was rescued by Mexican authorities following the Monday strikes, which were ordered by President Donald Trump as part of Washington’s intensified campaign against narco-trafficking networks.
The latest attacks bring the total death toll from recent US operations to at least 51, further straining relations with Colombia and Venezuela.
According to Hegseth, the vessels were travelling along “known narco-trafficking routes” and carrying narcotics. Eight people were killed in the first strike, with six more in the subsequent attacks, he added.
This is a developing story.