US Military Strikes Smuggling Vessels, 14 Dead

The U.S. military carried out three strikes on four vessels in the eastern Pacific off Colombia’s coast on Monday, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced and posted footage on X. Officials said the boats were identified by U.S. intelligence as transiting known narco‑trafficking routes and that Mexican authorities coordinated rescue efforts for the lone survivor. The strikes are part of an accelerated campaign the administration says has struck 13 vessels since September, leaving about 57 dead. Hegseth and the White House have framed the campaign as treating drug cartels like terrorist organizations, and the Pentagon has moved major naval assets, including the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group, to the region. The strikes have heightened tensions with Colombia and Venezuela, drawn protests in Caracas, and raised legal and humanitarian questions about the campaign and the fate of survivors.