US Strike Kills 3 Alleged Narco-Terrorists Linked To Colombian ELN

The U.S. military conducted a lethal strike on a drug-smuggling vessel in international waters, killing three men alleged to be affiliated with Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN), as announced by U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under the authorization of President Donald Trump. Hegseth described the ELN as a terrorist group akin to Al Qaeda, accusing Latin American drug cartels of using violence and terrorism to threaten U.S. national security, and vowed to treat them as terrorists. The strike is part of a broader U.S. campaign targeting maritime drug smuggling in the Caribbean, with this incident marking the seventh such strike and bringing the total deaths from these operations to at least 32. Colombian President Gustavo Petro disputed the U.S. claims, stating the targeted vessel was a civilian fishing boat and condemning the strike as an assassination of innocent fishermen. President Trump has also accused Petro of enabling drug production in Colombia and announced the cessation of U.S. funding to the country in response. These developments underscore escalating tensions between the U.S. and Colombia regarding drug enforcement strategies and sovereignty issues.