US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US military carried out three strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific yesterday, killing 14 people and saving one, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
The announcement, posted on social media today, is an indication of an acceleration in the pace of the strikes that began in early September. However, it is the first time that multiple strikes have been announced in one day.
Hegseth said Mexican rescuers “have taken responsibility for coordinating rescue” of the sole survivor, but did not specify whether he would be handed over to USA.
In a strike earlier this month that left two survivors, US forces rescued them and then returned them to Colombia and Ecuador, the AP recalls.