The U.S. Department of War announced today that it conducted a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel linked to the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, killing three individuals described as “narco-terrorists.” The strike, carried out on October 17th, was ordered directly by President Donald Trump.
According to a statement from the Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the vessel was operating in the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility and 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.”
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“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)…” Hegseth said. “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 U.S. forces were harmed in this strike.”
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The action is the latest in a series of U.S. military strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in international waters, which the administration has characterized as part of a broader campaign against “narco-terrorist” groups.
In strong language justifying the action, the Department of War equated these groups to global terrorist threats. “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,” Hegseth continued. “The United States military will treat these organizations like the terrorists they are—they will be hunted, and killed, just like Al Qaeda.”
The ELN, or National Liberation Army, is a far-left guerrilla group primarily based in Colombia and designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. Its activities have included armed attacks, extortion, and kidnapping, with officials claiming the group heavily relies on drug trafficking for revenue.
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