U.S. Military Strikes Caribbean Vessel Suspected of Narco-Trafficking, Killing Two

The U.S. military conducted a lethal strike on a vessel in the Caribbean on Sunday, killing two people and leaving six male survivors, U.S. Southern Command said. The command stated the vessel was operated by designated terrorist organizations, was transiting known narco-trafficking routes, and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.

The strike occurred at the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan of the Marine Corps. Southern Command notified the U.S. Coast Guard immediately after the engagement to activate search and rescue for the survivors.

A separate strike against a boat accused of smuggling drugs took place the same day in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Defense Department said. The total number of boat strikes now exceeds 60, with more than 210 people killed since early September. The Pentagon has refused to release the identities of those killed in the strikes or provide evidence of drugs on board the vessels.

U.S. Central Command notified the Coast Guard, which suspended its search for survivors one day later after finding no signs of survivors or debris. A black-and-white video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water before a projectile struck it and it burst into flames.

The Pentagon inspector general's office announced in May that it planned to examine whether the U.S. military followed the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle when carrying out the strikes. Sen. Rand Paul stated in January that colleagues who say they are pro-life do not give a s--- about these people in the boats and cited Coast Guard statistics showing a significant percentage of boarded boats are innocent.