Olympia [Washington], October 29: The U.S. military destroyed four vessels allegedly transporting narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday.
"The Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific," Hegseth said on social media.
He added that the lone survivor was rescued in a search-and-rescue operation coordinated by Mexican authorities.
Since Sept. 2, U.S. forces have sunk 14 vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 57 deaths.
On Oct. 2, the White House informed the U.S. Congress that the United States is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels designated as terrorist groups, without naming them.
The strikes have drawn sharp criticism from congressional Democrats. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said the U.S. government "offered no credible legal justification, evidence or intelligence" for the strikes.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly condemned Washington's actions as attempts to overthrow his government and expand the U.S. military influence in Latin America. Earlier this month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. government of "murder" for killing drug suspects at sea.
The U.S. administration has also expanded its military presence across the Caribbean. Currently, the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean is the largest in the region in more than three decades.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
