Washington: The US Southern Command confirmed late Friday that a military strike resulted in the deaths of two individuals on a drug smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Command released a statement on X, indicating that the operation was directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Joint Task Force Southern Spear executed the strike on a vessel that was under the control of Designated Terrorist Organizations. The intelligence verified that the vessel was navigating through recognized narco-trafficking routes and was involved in illicit operations. The statement further revealed that two drug traffickers were killed during the strike, while a third person survived.
The US government had previously informed Congress in early September about its engagement in an "armed conflict" with entities it identified as "terrorist drug cartels" within the Caribbean region.