14 Killed In US Military Strike On 4 Boats In Pacific, Search On For 1 Survivor

Last Updated:October 28, 2025, 21:41 IST

The US military struck four boats in the eastern Pacific, killing 14 narco-terrorists. Pete Hegseth defended the strikes as vital for US security.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. (Reuters Image)

The US military conducted strikes on four boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing 14 of 15 people on board, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday.

Hegseth said that the boats targeted by the three latest strikes were “being operated by a Designated Terrorist Organizations trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific."

“The four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics. Eight male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessels during the first strike. Four male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the second strike. Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the third strike. A total of 14 narco-terrorists were killed during the three strikes, with one survivor," he said. “All strikes were in international waters with no U.S. forces harmed."

The defense secretary also shared a video of the strike.

On the lone survivor, Hegseth said that the USSOUTHCOM immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols.

“Mexican SAR authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue."

According to CNN, this was the first time multiple strikes were conducted on the same day as part of the Trump administration’s accelerating campaign against boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking.

So far, the US military has targeted 13 alleged drug-smuggling vessels since September. These operations have destroyed 14 boats and killed 57 people while three people have survived the attacks.

Last week, the US military conducted its first round of strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration detained two survivors after an attack on a vessel in the Caribbean. The detainees were repatriated to their home countries Ecuador and Colombia.

According to CNN, the Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion seeking to justify lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers.

The Trump administration has asserted that killing suspected drug smugglers — rather than having the Coast Guard interdict boats and arrest people aboard them if suspicions of drug smuggling proved accurate — is consistent with the laws of war, according to The New York Times.

Hegseth has repeatedly defended the strikes, calling them necessary to protect US lives.

News world 14 Killed In US Military Strike On 4 Boats In Pacific, Search On For 1 Survivor

Read More