US military strike on suspected drug boat in Pacific kills two

The US military struck a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Sunday, killing two people. Over 200 have died in such strikes since Operation Southern Spear began.

Two killed as SOUTHCOM targets suspected narco vessel in Pacific

The United States military carried out a strike on a suspected drug trafficking boat in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday, killing two people, the Jamaica Observer reports.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the operation on X, stating the targeted vessel was "operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific." The command added that "confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking."

Grainy black-and-white footage released alongside the post showed a boat moving through open water before a large explosion occurred.

"This operation is a clear and decisive reminder that SOUTHCOM is taking the fight directly to the cartels," the command stated.

The strike forms part of Operation Southern Spear, launched in early September by President Donald Trump, who has framed Washington's campaign against Latin American drug cartels as tantamount to war.

According to an AFP tally, more than 200 people have been killed in strikes across the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea since the operation began.

Trump's administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels targeted are involved in drug trafficking. Legal experts and rights groups have warned the strikes could constitute extrajudicial killings.

Source: Jamaica Observer