US military kills two alleged drug traffickers in boat strike
A Sunday strike against a low-profile vessel that intelligence showed was participating in "narco-trafficking," killing two people on board, according to U.S. Southern Command. (Credit: U.S. SOUTHCOM)
The U.S. military conducted a deadly attack against a vessel on Sunday, killing two people that it described as "narco-terrorists."
Video footage shows the explosive strike on the low-profile vessel.
"On August 23, under the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan’s direction, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific," an Aug. 24 news release stated.
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The U.S. military announced that it attacked a vessel, killing "two narco-terrorists." (U.S. Southern Command)
"Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed two narco-terrorists," the release noted.
The military has executed dozens of strikes against alleged drug trafficking vessels during President Donald Trump's second term in office, a policy that has been controversial.
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U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images)
The last time U.S. Southern Command announced such a strike was just over two months ago on June 21 — that strike killed two, but there were six survivors.
"When I ordered the establishment of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, it was precisely for this purpose: to accelerate, synchronize, and execute lethal actions against these destabilizing narco-terrorist networks," Donovan said, according to the Monday announcement about the strike carried out on Sunday. "We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists -- disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region."
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Then-U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan, nominee for Commander of U.S. Southern Command, and then-U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, nominee for Director of the National Security Agency, Chief of Central Security Service, and Command of U.S. Cyber Command, testify during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on their nominations on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 15, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
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"Let me be clear, we will not permit narco-terrorists to operate with impunity in the Western Hemisphere, nor will we allow their deadly poison to reach American communities. This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland," he said.
