The US military attacked what it called a drug trafficking boat Tuesday in the eastern Pacific, killing one person and leaving two others stranded at sea, officials said. "One male narco-terrorist was killed during this action and there were two survivors," US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) wrote in a post to X. It added that it "immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivors." In its post, the military alleged the targeted vessel was "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" and "transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific" for drug trafficking. Grainy black-and-white video accompanying the post showed part of the boat obscured by a box before the strike, then a large explosion, and then smoking wreckage in the water. No survivors can be seen in the footage. The US military launched the operation, dubbed "Southern Spear," in early September, with President Donald Trump insisting the US is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America. But his administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking.
