US military says strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat kills two

The United States military said it struck a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the Pacific Ocean, killing two people. In a Monday post on X, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Sunday’s strike targeted a vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. The post stated that under the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L.

Donovan, the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on the low-profile vessel. This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland.” The US military launched Operation Southern Spear in early September, with President Donald Trump arguing that Washington is effectively at war with Latin American drug cartels. Since then, more than 200 people have been killed in strikes across the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, according to a tally by the news agency.

However, the Trump administration has not provided definitive evidence that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking. Legal experts and rights groups warn that the attacks could amount to extrajudicial killings. The Pentagon’s inspector general said in May that it would review whether the military followed standard targeting procedures, though the evaluation will not examine the legal authority behind the strikes.