The United States military announced Friday that it conducted a fatal strike against a boat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in two deaths as part of ongoing operations against drug trafficking networks.
U.S. Southern Command officials claimed the targeted vessel was being operated by what they called “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” though they did not specify which groups. The military described the two people killed as “male narco-terrorists” but provided no additional details about their identities.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” U.S. Southern Command stated on social media platform X.
The military released a brief 16-second video showing the moment the vessel was hit while in Pacific waters. No American military personnel were injured during the operation.
This attack represents the most recent in a series of similar deadly operations conducted by U.S. forces in the Eastern Pacific over recent weeks. The Trump administration has been targeting boats suspected of carrying illegal drugs as part of its anti-narcotics strategy.
Since September, these military operations against suspected drug vessels have resulted in more than 170 deaths, according to official counts.
The strikes have drawn significant criticism from human rights organizations and legal experts who question whether such actions are lawful. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have characterized these attacks as “unlawful extrajudicial killings.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has also weighed in, describing the Trump administration’s justifications for targeting these individuals as “unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims.”
