The United States military conducted another strike on Friday targeting a vessel suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of three men. This marks the third such operation this week, bringing the total number of fatalities in these strikes to over 200.
The U.S. Southern Command, which oversees American military activities in Latin America and the Caribbean, reported this latest action as part of an ongoing campaign against suspected drug-trafficking vessels navigating the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. The military described the vessel as being involved in “narco-trafficking operations” and linked to a designated terrorist organization, although it did not provide supporting evidence.
Typically, the military’s social media posts about these operations include video footage. Notably, this instance features color video for the first time. The footage depicts a small boat in the ocean before it is struck and bursts into flames. The video then shows what appears to be the same vessel burning, surrounded by a spread of parcels or other items in the water.
According to U.S. Southern Command’s statement on X, the strike was ordered by Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the leading U.S. military official in Latin America. On the same day, Gen. Donovan engaged in discussions with Cuban military officials near the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay.
This attack has increased the death toll from the U.S. strikes, which commenced in early September, to at least 202 individuals. Earlier in the week, two additional strikes were announced on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Trump administration has previously stated that the U.S. is engaged in armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, blaming them for drug inflows into U.S. communities.
The death count has seen a slight increase this week as some individuals initially reported by the U.S. military as survivors have not been located.
U.S. Southern Command said in its post on X that the strike came at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the top U.S. commander in Latin America, who on Friday also met with Cuban military leaders near the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay.
The attack raises the death toll to at least 202 people from the series of U.S. strikes that began in early September, with two other attacks announced Tuesday and Wednesday. The Trump administration has declared that the U.S. is at armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, saying they are behind the flow of drugs into American communities.
The death toll also rose slightly this week because some people that had been initially reported by the U.S. military as survivors of the strikes have not been found.
The legality of the boat strikes has come under scrutiny by experts. The White House later confirmed a Washington Post report that in the first attack, which occurred on Sept. 2, the U.S. conducted a follow-on strike, or so-called double tap, that killed two survivors of the initial strike on the vessel.
Some lawmakers have questioned whether that follow-on strike constituted a war crime.
