US claimed to kill two in a strike

Washington (dpa) — The US military said it carried out a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in international waters in the Eastern Pacific on Monday, killing two men.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed,” the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said on social media platform X.

SOUTHCOM said that the “lethal kinetic strike” was carried out at the direction of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

It also released a short video clip that it said showed the strike.

Neither the military’s account nor the authenticity of the video could initially be independently verified.

Since September, US forces have repeatedly targeted vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that they allege are carrying drugs, citing intelligence assessments. The military has not publicly provided evidence to substantiate the claims.

US media counts suggest more than 100 people have been killed in some 30 operations so far. The US administration has described those killed as drug traffickers and “terrorists,” but the strikes have drawn sharp criticism.

UN human rights experts have said the operations may violate international law, describing the killings as unlawful extrajudicial killings.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump also confirmed a military attack on a facility in Venezuela where, he said, “they load the boats up with drugs.”

Tensions have been simmering between Washington and Caracas for months.

On top of the repeated sinking of boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, Washington has also deployed troops and the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region, with Trump suggesting a ground operation in Venezuela is also on the table.

US officials say the measures are aimed at combating drug trafficking. Venezuela, however, accuses Washington of seeking to engineer regime change. According to experts, the US military deployment is oversized for an operation against drug smugglers.