The US military’s recent attack on a ship suspected of smuggling drugs as part of its counter-terrorism efforts. The latest strike occurred on Friday as the vessel sailed through the eastern Pacific Ocean. Two people on board the ship were killed in the attack, but one survived.
US Southern Command shared the video and said in a post on X: “On May 8th, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a deadly kinetic attack on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.”
He added: “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was navigating known narcotics trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was involved in narcotics trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed in this action and one survivor of the attack. Following the encounter, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate a search and rescue system for survivors.”
The U.S. Southern Command shared a video of the ship floating in the ocean minutes before the missile strike, after which plumes of smoke began billowing from the vessel. The moving black object in the video is a US military target.
This happened two days after the White House announced that US President Donald Trump had signed a new US counter-terrorism strategy. Washington suggested it was the administration’s top priority, saying it was trying to eliminate drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere.
The Trump administration’s campaign to blow up alleged drug-trafficking vessels can be traced back to early September, the AP reported. So far, a total of 193 people have been killed in Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean. However, the Pentagon did not provide evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.
Military strikes have intensified again in recent weeks. At the same time, Trump sought the cooperation of regional leaders in his campaign against cartels, drug traffickers and transnational gangs. He called on them to take military action against the groups themselves, claiming they posed an “unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere’s national security. But Trump’s critics question the overall legality of the ship strikes.
On May 7, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth thanked Trump for sanctioning the $1.5 trillion defense budget. a post on X said: “Thanks to President Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget, this War Department has moved from bureaucracy to business. This is a FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT in our arsenal of freedom – ensuring our military remains the world’s deadliest fighting force.”
