LONDON and WASHINGTON — U.S. Southern Command said in a statement late on Monday that a strike “at the direction” of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Eastern Pacific hit a vessel and killed one man it alleged to be a “narco-terrorist.”
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” the statement said.
“Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” it continued. “One male narco-terrorist was confirmed killed during this action.”
Monday’s strike brings the death toll to at least 105 people from known U.S. strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean, which began in early September.
