US Strikes Kill 8 on Narcotrafficking Vessels in Pacific

The United States military conducted lethal strikes on three vessels suspected of narcotrafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing eight men, according to a statement from US Southern Command. The action, directed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, targeted boats operating in international waters along known drug smuggling routes and affiliated with designated terrorist organizations, the command said in a post on X that included video footage of the operations.

US Southern Command reported that intelligence confirmed the vessels' involvement in narcotrafficking. The strikes resulted in three deaths on the first vessel, two on the second and three on the third. Officials described those killed as narcoterrorists and emphasized that the operations aimed to disrupt networks linked to groups such as Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Colombia's National Liberation Army.

This incident marks the latest in a campaign that began in early September, under the banner of Joint Task Force Southern Spear. Since then, the US military has destroyed at least 25 vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 95 deaths. The effort has involved a...