WASHINGTON – The U.S. military has confirmed conducting another operation on Saturday, targeting a vessel suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This action resulted in the death of three individuals and marks the fourth such operation this week, increasing the overall fatality count to 205.
The U.S. Southern Command stated that the targeted boat was involved in “narco-trafficking operations” and was operated by a group identified as a terrorist organization, although they did not provide specific evidence to back this claim.
This strike is part of an ongoing effort that has been in place for several months, focusing on intercepting suspected drug-running boats through the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific region.
The military shared a video on social media depicting a small vessel at sea before it was struck and subsequently engulfed in flames.
This recent attack contributes to a series of U.S. military actions that commenced in early September. Additional strikes were reported earlier in the week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Trump administration has articulated a stance of armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, attributing them to the influx of drugs into the United States.
According to U.S. Southern Command’s post on X, the operation was executed under the directive of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the leading U.S. commander in Latin America.
