The United States military has conducted three separate airstrikes on vessels allegedly operated by designated terrorist organizations, killing 11 people, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced on Tuesday (February 17).
According to SOUTHCOM, all of the deceased were male and were allegedly engaged in narcotics trafficking operations. The military released footage showing each of the vessels being struck, though the Pentagon did not specify the exact locations of the operations.
The most recent of these strikes occurred on February 5, when Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted what it called a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific. Intelligence sources confirmed the boat was “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes” and “engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” resulting in the deaths of two individuals described as “narco-terrorists.”
These operations are part of a broader military campaign targeting alleged drug smugglers that began in September 2025 under President Donald Trump’s administration. The initiative represents a significant shift in U.S. policy toward combating drug trafficking, moving from interdiction to direct military strikes.
U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, has not released additional details about the specific organizations targeted in these recent strikes or the precise locations where they occurred.
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