US military kills five people in strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in Pacific

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Hugo Lowell and Guardian staffOctober 23, 2025 at 11:08 AM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

The US military has conducted strikes against two boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Pacific off South America, marking its first such attacks in that region. The operations on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning resulted in five fatalities. Previously, at least seven other strikes were carried out in the Caribbean, leading to 32 deaths and escalating tensions with Colombia and Venezuela. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth likened the drug cartels to al-Qaeda, asserting a stance of no "refuge or forgiveness." Colombian President Gustavo Petro denounced the attacks as murder that violates international law. The CIA is reportedly providing intelligence for these operations, though details on target selection remain undisclosed.

Keywords

us military 90% boat strikes 90% drug-trafficking activities 85% cia intelligence 80% controversial fight 80% killed five people 75% colombia and venezuela 75% pacific side of south america 70% international law 65% alleged drug traffickers 60%

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Negative
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Source
The Guardian - World News
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
United States

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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