US military strikes narco-trafficking vessel in Eastern Pacific, killing 2

The US military said late Friday that it had carried out a "lethal" strike against a vessel in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, allegedly killing two narco-terrorists.

The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) claimed that intelligence had identified the vessel as operating along "known narco-trafficking routes" and actively engaging in alleged narco-trafficking operations, it said on the platform of US social media company X.

The strike was ordered by Gen. Francis L. Donovan, SOUTHCOM's commander, and carried out by Joint Task Force Southern Spear against what it described as a vessel operated by a "designated terrorist organization."

"Two alleged male narco-terrorists were killed during this action," the command said.

The operation came as part of the Trump administration's intensified military activity in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since last September in the name of combating narcotics trafficking. Authorities say at least 163 people have been killed since the operations began.

Critics say the strikes amount to extrajudicial summary execution in which the accused have no opportunity to defend themselves or prove their innocence before they are killed. They also argue that US President Donald Trump's pardoning of convicted drug traffickers shows he is not really interested in fighting the illegal drug trade.