The U.S. military announced on Thursday that it conducted a lethal strike against a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, resulting in what it described as the deaths of “four drug traffickers.”
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) stated via the X platform that intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting a known narcotics route and was actively involved in smuggling operations. “Four narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military forces were harmed,” the statement read.
The strike comes as part of a broader military campaign by the administration of President Donald Trump, which has seen an increased naval presence in the Caribbean and Pacific.
While Washington justifies these strikes as necessary to combat drug trafficking, the operations have faced growing international scrutiny and claims from Venezuela that the maneuvers are intended to exert political pressure on the country.
