U.S. drug boat strike deaths top 100 as 5 killed in Eastern Pacific
by Paul Godfrey · UPIDec. 19 (UPI) -- American warplanes struck two drug boats traveling known trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific overnight, killing at least five "narco-terrorists," U.S. Southern Command said Friday.
The Florida-based command, which is responsible for the security of the United States and its allies in the Western Hemisphere, said in a post on X the strikes against what it said were Designated Terrorist Organizations were ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions -- three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel," said Southern Command.
Night-vision footage accompanying the announcement showed the boats speeding through the water under the cover of darkness before being hit by massive explosions, leaving them crippled and in flames. The weapons appear to target the cockpit area of the boats.
No information as to the location was provided, apart from that they took place in "international waters."
No U.S. military personnel were hurt in the operation, which brings the number of people killed to 104 in the Trump administration's offensive against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
At least 26 strikes have been conducted since the campaign began in September, including three on Monday in which eight people were killed and one at the beginning of December in which four people died. The three most recent operations were all in international waters in the Eastern Pacific.
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