US Launches Deadly Strike on Alleged Drug Boat, Believed to Be the First in Two Months
SOUTHCOM said confirmed intelligence showed the vessel was involved in narco-trafficking, and the strike resumed a campaign that has killed more than 200 people.
- On Sunday, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people and marking the first known strike in more than two months.
- The military launched "Operation Southern Spear" in September 2025, claiming an "armed conflict" against cartels; prior to the pause, the campaign destroyed at least 67 vessels and killed at least 221 people.
- Earlier this month, Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine urged the White House to cease what he called an "illegal, costly and ineffective" operation, citing classified information that strikes likely killed "individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking."
- SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan defended the mission Monday, stating, "We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists." The administration justifies strikes against "unlawful combatants" via classified Justice Department findings.
- Legal experts and rights groups argue the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings, as the administration has not provided evidence linking vessels to trafficking. Some members of Congress advocate returning to traditional prosecution policies.
156 Articles
156 Articles
US military says it struck vessel in Eastern Pacific, killing two
By Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Monday two people had been killed in a strike it launched on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific over the weekend, the latest in a series of similar attacks that Washington says t...
U.S. Military Strikes Drug Trafficking Vessel In Eastern Pacific, Killing Two "Narco-Terrorists"
The U.S. military conducted a deadly strike on Sunday against a low-profile vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people described as “narco-terrorists,” according to U.S. Southern Command. Video footage released by U.S. Southern Command shows the explosive strike on the vessel operating along what the military identified as established narco-trafficking routes. The operation was carried out under the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, c…
U.S. Southern Command assured that intelligence information made it possible to detect this vessel carrying out drug trafficking activities
The Real News
Progressive Hub‘Lawless killing spree at sea resumes’ as US announces fresh boat bombings
This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 24, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. The US military has resumed its campaign of bombing alleged drug-trafficking vessels after a two-month pause in a campaign that many legal experts and human rights groups believe constitutes a murder spree. In a Monday social media post, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said it carried out a “lethal kinetic strike…
U.S. forces strike vessel in Pacific, killing 2 accused of trafficking drugs
The death toll from the Trump administration’s nearly yearlong campaign of bombing boats off Latin America’s Caribbean coast and in the eastern Pacific now exceeds 210 after more than 60 strikes.
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