US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- After a pause of more than two months, the U.S. military announced Monday that it once again carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of trafficking drugs.
It brings the overall death toll to 223 people killed in 67 strikes during the nearly yearlong U.S. campaign of bombing alleged drug boats off Latin America's Caribbean coast and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. Southern Command says the campaign has resulted in the destruction of 64 speedboats, three "low-profile" ships and a semisubmersible craft.
The command said on social media early Monday that forces "executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narcotrafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific." The military said the strike occurred Sunday, and it marked the first since powerful back-to-back June 24 earthquakes in Venezuela killed thousands of people.
As with most of the military's statements, Southern Command did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs.
"We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists -- disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region," said Gen. Francis Donovan, who leads U.S. Southern Command.
The latest strike comes as the Trump administration pursues deals with allied nations to extend its offensive to land across multiple Latin American countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama this month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil.