Lasers down 11 cartel drones along southern border, US military says

WASHINGTON, Sept 4 (Reuters) - ‌The U.S. ​military ​has downed 11 cartel drones using lasers since deploying the technology ‌along the U.S.-Mexican border last week, ⁠U.S. officials said on Friday.

U.S. Northern Command, in ‌a statement, said the ‌unmanned aerial systems, or UAS, "were assessed to be associated with illicit activity along ​the border" and were targeted with the Army Multipurpose High-Energy Laser system as ⁠part of a task force operation along the southern ​U.S. border.

More than 300 drones have been downed since the start of ​2026 using both "kinetic and non-kinetic ‌systems" in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, USNORTHCOM ⁠said, adding that more than 100 drones were taken down in August.

The military did not ⁠say where exactly the laser strikes took place or ​whether they occurred over U.S. or Mexican territory. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said any unilateral ‌U.S. action on Mexican soil would be a grave breach of ‌her country's sovereignty.

It also did not ⁠specify the manufacturer of ‌the laser ​technology used.

(Reporting by Mike Stone; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Alex ‌Richardson)

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