In a post on X, Hegseth said Mexican authorities had taken over the search for the sole survivor of the three attacks, which took place on Monday.
It is the first time that multiple attacks have been carried out on the same day as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against ships allegedly involved in drug trafficking, reports Hina.
CNN writes that three attacks took place in the Pacific Ocean on Monday, one of which hit two ships at once. This brings the total number of attacks carried out by the US military against ships for alleged drug smuggling to 13 since the beginning of September. In those operations, 14 ships have been destroyed and 57 people have been killed so far, and a total of three people have survived.
Let us remind you that last week the US military carried out the first round of attacks in the eastern Pacific Ocean, and this meant expanding the campaign because all seven previous attacks were aimed at ships in the Caribbean Sea.
Hegseth said the ships targeted in the last three attacks were operated by terrorist organizations that smuggle narcotics.
– The four vessels were known to our intelligence apparatus, they followed known routes for drug trafficking and transported narcotics, said Hegseth.
He added that there were eight men on the vessels during the first attack, and he called them narco-terrorists. During the second attack, there were four of them on board, and during the third attack, three.
Hegseth also pointed out that all the attacks were in international waters, and no member of the US military was injured.
He released a video of about 30 seconds showing two ships at sea near each other exploding.
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.
The four vessels were known by our intelligence… pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025
The second part of the footage shows the ship sailing and then exploding.
The attacks in the Pacific Ocean come in the context of a build-up of US military forces in the Caribbean, including destroyers, F-35 jets, a nuclear submarine and thousands of troops.
The administration ordered the USS Ford aircraft carrier battle group to come to the region from the Mediterranean.
Arrival is expected in the coming weeks.
(Vijesti.ba)
