Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal strike on Dec. 4 against a vessel in international waters in the Eastern Pacific, killing four people.
- The command’s post stated the operation was carried out at the direction of Secretary Pete Hegseth and described the target as run by a Designated Terrorist Organization transporting illicit narcotics.
- Pentagon figures cited in multiple reports put campaign fatalities at at least 87 since September across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, with a newly released video accompanying the latest announcement.
- Admiral Frank Bradley briefed lawmakers behind closed doors and denied receiving an order to “kill them all,” as members who viewed video of a Sept. 2 incident split over whether a second strike on survivors was lawful.
- Legal and diplomatic pressure is mounting, including a complaint to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights over a Colombian fisherman’s death and condemnations from the United Nations and Amnesty International.