The US military attacked what it described as a drug trafficking boat on Wednesday in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of two men, officials confirmed. This marks the second deadly strike in as many days within the Trump administration offensive that commenced last September, which has now left nearly 200 people dead. Human rights organizations have raised concerns that these attacks could constitute extrajudicial killings.
The latest assault targeted a vessel allegedly engaged in drug trafficking along a known smuggling route, according to the US Southern Command, which posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action,” the command stated.
This strike follows dozens of similar operations in recent months, bringing the death toll in the US campaign to at least 195, as tallied by the AFP news agency. In Tuesday’s attack, two individuals survived and were left stranded in the water. The Southern Command reported that the US Coast Guard was alerted to launch a rescue operation, though the Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for information on this or other rescue efforts.
A grainy black-and-white video accompanying the latest post showed the boat before the strike, followed by a large explosion and flaming wreckage in the water.
President Donald Trump launched Operation “Southern Spear” in early September, insisting that the US was effectively at war with drug cartels operating from Latin America. However, his administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels targeted are involved in drug trafficking. Legal experts and rights groups argue that the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings, as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US.
