Screengrab from X video posted by U.S. Southern Command
The US military said it carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on May 30, killing three men suspected of being involved in drug-trafficking operations.
US Southern Command said the operation was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear under the direction of Southern Command commander General Francis L. Donovan.
According to the command, intelligence indicated that the vessel was travelling along known drug-trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in narcotics-smuggling operations.
“Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed,” Southern Command said in a post on X.
Video released by the military showed the vessel at sea before it was hit by an explosion and caught fire.
On May 30, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… /IMgQiUTPnP
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 31, 2026
The strike was the second announced by the US military in as many days and the fourth such attack reported within a week.
On May 27, Southern Command said it carried out a similar strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific that it alleged was operated by designated terrorist organisations. The military said two men were killed in that attack.
A day earlier, US forces struck another suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the region, killing one man.
On Friday, the military also announced a strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs, killing three men.
The strike was carried out under Operation Southern Spear, a campaign launched by the Trump administration in early September targeting vessels suspected of involvement in drug trafficking across Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea.
President Donald Trump has argued that the United States is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.
On May 29, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking… /ynibuPqDd3
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 30, 2026
According to an AFP tally, more than 200 people have been killed since the campaign began.
However, the administration has not publicly provided definitive evidence that the vessels targeted in the strikes were involved in drug trafficking.
Legal experts and human rights groups have questioned the operations, saying the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they appear to have targeted civilians who did not pose an immediate threat to the United States.
US Southern Command has maintained that intelligence supported the latest operation and said no American military personnel were injured during the strike.
References: The Hindu, Reuters
