Video: US announces 7th strike on alleged drug-courier boat

The United States has conducted another strike on an alleged drug-running boat in international waters, killing three "narco-terrorists," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Sunday.

It was the seventh such strike, as per US media.

In a post on X, Hegseth said the strike, carried out on Friday, targeted a vessel affiliated with Colombia's ELN guerrilla group, which "was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics."

Hegseth didn't specify where the strike took place, but said the boat was operating an area overseen by the Southern Command, which oversees US military operations in Latin America.

"On October 17th, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a Designated Terrorist Organization, that was operating in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility," Hegseth stated.

"The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route, and was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics. There were three male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel during the strike—which was conducted in international waters."

"All three terrorists were killed and no US forces were harmed in this strike. These cartels are the Al Qaeda of the Western Hemisphere, using violence, murder and terrorism to impose their will, threaten our national security and poison our people. The United States military will treat these organizations like the terrorists they are — they will be hunted, and killed, just like Al Qaeda."