> The **US military killed 14 people and left one survivor in more strikes on drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific**, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said on Monday, as the Trump administration continued to expand its campaign beyond the Caribbean.

> The latest strikes mean the **US has now attacked at least 13 vessels and brought the officially acknowledged death toll to 51 people** since the campaign began at the start of September.

> Hegseth did not provide geographic details beyond saying that **the strikes took place in the eastern Pacific, in international waters.** Last week, the administration started targeting boats on the western side of the Americas after initially focusing on boats off the coast of Venezuela.

> The **four boats were hit on Sunday in three different strikes**, Hegseth said in a social media post announcing the matter. His said the boats were “known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics”. He also acknowledged there was a survivor.

> In perhaps an effort to avoid the legally thorny questions that could come with detaining that person, Hegseth said the **US enlisted Mexico to take on search and rescue responsibilities – which Mexico accepted.**

> **Hegseth sought to justify the attacks by comparing the US strikes against alleged drug traffickers to conducting strikes on al-Qaida targets during the global war on terror.**

Full Article by [the Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/28/latest-boat-strikes-caribbean-hegseth-trump) via [RemovePaywall](https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/28/latest-boat-strikes-caribbean-hegseth-trump)



[TheGuardian] US military kills 14 in attacks on vessels in the Pacific, according to Hegseth