US strikes “narco-boat” in Pacific Ocean, kills four Operation Video

The United States has destroyed another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four people on board.

The operation was carried out at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, with Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducting a lethal kinetic strike in international waters against a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation, Caliber.Az reports via US Southern Command.

This was the 22nd operation carried out as part of the campaign led by President Donald Trump’s administration against suspected maritime drug-smuggling routes from Latin America to the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.

The strikes are part of a campaign by the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), under Operation Southern Spear — a new military effort launched in 2025 aiming to target vessels suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.

According to official US statements, the targeted vessels are alleged to belong to groups the U.S. designates as “narco-terrorist” organisations, accused of trafficking large quantities of illegal drugs via maritime routes.

The decision to use lethal military force — as opposed to interception and arrest — marks a sharp escalation compared with traditional anti-drug operations, reflecting a shift in US policy: the traffickers are being treated as enemy combatants.

These strikes have generated major legal and ethical controversy.

Experts and international observers warn that targeting suspected drug smugglers with force — especially in situations where survivors may be shipwrecked or no longer posing a threat — could violate the laws of war and constitute unlawful killings.

By Jeyhun Aghazada