Washington: The United States military carried out a lethal strike in the Eastern Pacific, killing four suspected “narco-terrorists,” as part of Operation Southern Spear, a counter-narcotics campaign launched under the administration of President Donald Trump.
According to US officials, the operation was conducted on the orders of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. The US Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, confirmed that the targeted vessel was moving along a known drug trafficking route in international waters.
In a statement shared on social media platform X, the Southern Command said intelligence assessments had verified the vessel’s involvement in narco-trafficking activities and its operation by a designated terrorist organization. The strike resulted in the deaths of four male suspects, while no US military personnel were injured.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a designated terrorist organization in international waters on December 17,” the Southern Command said, adding that the mission was successfully completed without US casualties.
Earlier this week, the Southern Command reported that eight suspected narco-terrorists were killed in separate strikes on three vessels operated by designated terrorist groups. Since the launch of Operation Southern Spear, US military actions against suspected drug trafficking vessels have reportedly resulted in at least 95 fatalities.
Media reports indicate that US Marines also carried out a similar operation on December 4, killing four individuals aboard another suspected drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific.
The military campaign, however, has sparked controversy in the United States. Legal experts and several Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns over the legality of the strikes. The Trump administration has informed Congress that the first strike on September 2 marked the beginning of an “armed conflict” between the US and drug cartels. Critics argue that subsequent attacks could amount to violations of international law, a claim the administration has rejected.
Officials have defended the operations by designating those killed as “unlawful combatants” and citing a classified Justice Department opinion that authorizes lethal force without prior judicial review.
Operation Southern Spear forms part of a broader US strategy to counter drug trafficking and increase pressure on Venezuela. This includes heightened military deployments in the Caribbean, repeated warnings to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and recent sanctions targeting shipping companies and vessels accused of transporting Venezuelan oil.
