{"id":72939,"date":"2026-05-27T22:37:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T02:37:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/pentagon-launches-second-fatal-strike-on-suspected-drug-vessel-in-pacific\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T22:37:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T02:37:35","slug":"pentagon-launches-second-fatal-strike-on-suspected-drug-vessel-in-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/pentagon-launches-second-fatal-strike-on-suspected-drug-vessel-in-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon Launches Second Fatal Strike on Suspected Drug Vessel in Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 American forces carried out a deadly attack Wednesday on a vessel believed to be transporting narcotics in the eastern Pacific, resulting in two deaths.<\/p>

U.S. Southern Command released footage on social media platforms displaying a watercraft floating on the ocean surface moments before an explosive strike. The final moments of the recording capture flames and smoke billowing from the targeted vessel.<\/p>

Tuesday saw U.S. forces conduct a similar operation against a suspected narcotics boat in the eastern Pacific, resulting in one death and two people rescued. Southern Command stated it “immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors.”<\/p>

The current administration’s strategy of destroying suspected drug-smuggling boats throughout Latin American waters, spanning the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea regions, has continued since early September and resulted in no fewer than 196 total deaths. Military officials have not released proof that any targeted vessels actually contained narcotics.<\/p>

The Pentagon’s oversight office announced last week it would examine whether U.S. forces adhered to proper targeting procedures during these operations against suspected smuggling boats. The six-step Joint Targeting Cycle encompasses military commander objectives, target identification, analysis, decision-making, execution and evaluation.<\/p>

The Pentagon inspector general’s office described the review as “self-initiated.” The investigation will not examine the legal basis for these operations, which have faced significant criticism from some Democratic lawmakers and military legal experts.<\/p>

The current administration maintains the U.S. is engaged in warfare against Latin American drug organizations, which it blames for the epidemic of deadly drug overdoses affecting numerous American communities.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American forces conducted another deadly attack on a boat suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific, resulting in two fatalities. This marks the second such strike in two days as part of an ongoing military campaign against alleged narcotics vessels that has killed nearly 200 people since September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":72938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[831],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779935855411.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-iYr","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":64053,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/military-strike-on-suspected-drug-boat-leaves-2-dead-in-eastern-pacific\/","url_meta":{"origin":72939,"position":0},"title":"Military Strike on Suspected Drug Boat Leaves 2 Dead in Eastern Pacific","author":"Admin","date":"May 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"U.S. forces attacked a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, resulting in two fatalities and one survivor. The strike is part of an ongoing military campaign against narcotics smuggling that has drawn criticism from human rights organizations.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778289676207.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778289676207.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778289676207.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778289676207.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778289676207.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57815,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/three-dead-in-pacific-ocean-military-strike-on-suspected-drug-vessel\/","url_meta":{"origin":72939,"position":1},"title":"Three Dead in Pacific Ocean Military Strike on Suspected Drug Vessel","author":"Admin","date":"April 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"U.S. Southern Command conducted another military operation against a suspected drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, resulting in three deaths. This marks the latest in a series of strikes that began in September, with critics questioning the legality of these operations.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777257413841.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777257413841.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777257413841.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777257413841.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":57223,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/two-dead-after-u-s-military-targets-suspected-drug-vessel-in-pacific\/","url_meta":{"origin":72939,"position":2},"title":"Two Dead After U.S. Military Targets Suspected Drug Vessel in Pacific","author":"Admin","date":"April 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"American forces conducted another strike against a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, resulting in two fatalities. This marks the latest in an ongoing military campaign that has killed at least 183 people since September.","rel":"","context":"In "U.S. News"","block_context":{"text":"U.S. News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/us-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777088231582.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777088231582.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777088231582.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777088231582.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74041,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/us-military-strike-on-pacific-drug-boat-leaves-3-dead-death-toll-hits-202\/","url_meta":{"origin":72939,"position":3},"title":"US Military Strike on Pacific Drug Boat Leaves 3 Dead, Death Toll Hits 202","author":"Admin","date":"May 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"American forces conducted another attack on a suspected narcotics smuggling vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, resulting in three fatalities. 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