US kills 6 suspected narco-terrorists in overnight strike on alleged drug smuggling boat, Hegseth says

The US conducted a nighttime strike on a suspected Tren de Aragua vessel in international waters of the Caribbean Sea, killing six alleged narco-terrorists. The operation was authorized by President Donald Trump at the direction of War Secretary Pete Hegseth. The vessel was known to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route. This is the 10th strike targeting suspected drug trafficking boats since Trump returned to office, with 43 suspected drug traffickers killed and two surviving. The strikes have mostly targeted vessels linked to Venezuela's Tren de Aragua network, with operations ranging from attacks on smuggling boats to the destruction of a submersible. The US has declared drug cartels as unlawful combatants and is in an "armed conflict" with them.

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