U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out its first lethal strike since Dec. 22 on Dec. 29, killing two narco-terrorists aboard a vessel operated by designated terrorist organizations in international waters.
“On Dec. 29, at the direction of [Secrtary of War Pete Hegseth,] Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X, adding that intelligence confirmed the vessel was traveling along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.
SOUTHCOM said two male narco-terrorists were killed and no U.S. military forces were harmed.
The strike was the 30th since Sept. 2, bringing the total number of people killed in such operations to at least 106, according to U.S. Southern Command.
President Donald Trump’s administration continues its controversial policy of conducting deadly attacks against vessels it alleges are involved in drug trafficking, with the most recent occurring on Dec. 22.
US MILITARY STRIKES NARCO-TERRORIST VESSELS IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC DRUG TRAFFICKING OPERATION
The U.S. has conducted dozens of strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean to dismantle narco-terrorist networks, targeting groups such as Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional.
The campaign began Sept. 2 with a strike that killed 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua, followed by additional operations that reportedly eliminated dozens more across known trafficking routes.
SOUTHCOM SAYS 8 NARCO-TERRORISTS KILLED IN LATEST EASTERN PACIFIC LETHAL KINETIC STRIKES
U.S. forces have reportedly hit various types of vessels, including submersibles, fishing boats and high-speed vessels.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration launched its “Fentanyl Free America” plan, with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reporting that strikes on suspected Caribbean drug vessels are helping curb the flow of illegal drugs into the U.S.
Trump has indicated that the U.S. will start conducting strikes on land.
Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
