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 United States launched a strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three men on board, officials said.
The US military launched operation “Southern Spear” in early September, with President Donald Trump saying the country is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.
More than 200 people have been killed as part of the strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a tally by AFP.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X.
The attack was the second this week, with another strike on Tuesday killing one person aboard a vessel, while two other occupants reportedly survived.
Trump’s administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking.
Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.
AFP
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