By Roberto Bustamante
The US military announced that on Friday it carried out another attack on a boat, the third in a week.
The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees US military forces in the Caribbean and Latin America, confirmed the attack, the latest in a controversial, months-long campaign against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.
The vessel was accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific. Three men, described by SOUTHCOM as “narcoterrorists,” were killed, raising more than 200 the total number of deaths in the attackswhich began at the beginning of September.
SOUTHCOM stated that the military action was a “lethal kinetic attack against a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.” The command indicated that intelligence had confirmed that the vessel was “navigating known drug trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific” and that it was participating in “drug trafficking operations.”
On Could also 29, in the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Job Power Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was as soon as transiting alongside identified narco-trafficking? pic.twitter.com/ynibuPqDd3
— US Southern Dispute (@Southcom) Could also 30, 2026
This is the latest attack in what the US government ordered as an offensive against drug trafficking in the country. However, This action has generated international criticismconcern among humanitarian groups and close scrutiny by Congress.
The Trump administration has yet to publicly present evidence that the vessels transported drugs.
The attack comes a day after the United States killed two people in an attack on a suspected drug trafficking vessel, and days after another U.S. attack on another vessel killed one man and left two survivors.
The US government has declared that it is in a fair genuine “armed conflict” with drug cartelswhich they say is necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the country and save American lives.
However, humanitarian groups, international experts and some former officials have denounced the attacks as illegal under international law, since armed forces cannot attack civilians who do not pose an immediate threat.
Keep reading:
– The US carries out another attack against a boat linked to drug trafficking and kills two crew members.
– Southern Command attacks boat in the Pacific and kills one person; there are two survivors.
