Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said Dec. 18 strikes in international waters targeted boats transiting known narcotrafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.
- Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out the attacks at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, according to SOUTHCOM.
- Video posted on X shows fast-moving vessels struck and engulfed in flames, and the command reported no U.S. casualties.
- SOUTHCOM described the boats as operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations and referred to the dead as “narcoterroristas,” but did not identify them.
- The actions are part of a campaign that U.S. figures place at about 28 attacks and at least 104 deaths since early September, drawing growing congressional scrutiny over legal authority and transparency.