This screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) on January 23, 2026 shows a strike at the direction of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on a vessel alleged to be transiting along narco-traficking routes on January 23, 2026 in “international waters.”. The US military said it killed two alleged drug traffickers in a strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific January 23, while the Coast Guard was searching for a third person who survived. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that included a clip of a multi-engined boat being smashed by an explosion. (Photo by Handout / US Southern Command / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / US SOUTHERN COMMAND’S X ACCOUNT / HANDOUT” – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
The US military said Friday it killed three alleged drug traffickers in a strike on a boat in the Caribbean, bringing the death toll in Washington’s anti-narcotics campaign to at least 133.
President Donald Trump’s administration began targeting alleged smuggling boats in early September, insisting it is effectively at war with alleged “narco-terrorists” operating out of Venezuela. Dozens of strikes have been carried out since then.
Administration officials have provided no definitive evidence that the vessels are involved in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations that have expanded from the Caribbean to the Pacific.
“Three narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed,” US Southern Command said in a statement on X.
The new strike comes nearly six weeks after the capture by US special forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who had said the American campaign of strikes was aimed at pushing regime change in the South American country.
The leftist leader is now incarcerated in the United States, where he has pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges.
AFP
Disclaimer
Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.