Three dead in latest US strike on drug vessel, Hegseth says

Published October 19, 2025 1:27pm ET



War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. military carried out its seventh known strike on a drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean region, killing three people aboard.

Hegseth said the “lethal kinetic strike” occurred on Friday at the direction of President Donald Trump. The target was affiliated with Colombia’s National Liberation Army, a designated terrorist organization, and was traveling in the jurisdiction that falls under U.S. Southern Command’s responsibility.

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