US military kills four men in strike on suspected drug vessel
The US military said on Thursday it killed four men in a strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Eastern Pacific, describing the target as a ship operated by a designated terrorist organisation and used to move narcotics.
US Southern Command announced the operation on X, stating that it was carried out under orders from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to the statement, intelligence indicated the vessel was carrying illicit drugs and travelling along a well-known trafficking route., News.Az reports, citing Turkish media
“Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed,” the command said.
The strike is the latest in a series of operations targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific. Since September, the US has conducted at least 22 such attacks, resulting in the deaths of at least 87 people.
The latest operation also comes amid scrutiny over a separate September incident in the Caribbean Sea. Reports have suggested Hegseth ordered a follow-on strike that killed survivors from another suspected drug boat — an allegation the administration rejects.
The White House confirmed that a second strike took place but denied that Hegseth ordered the killing of survivors. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Hegseth had authorised US Special Operations Command chief Adm. Frank Bradley to conduct the Sept. 2 strikes and that the second engagement was carried out “well within his authority and the law.”
The US has stepped up its military presence across Latin America in recent months, deploying Marines, warships, fighter jets, bombers, submarines and drones as part of its expanded counter-narcotics campaign.
Similar news
