US Forces Strike Three Drug Vessels, Killing Eight in Escalation of Anti-Cartel Campaign

The US military carried out lethal strikes on three vessels operated by designated terrorist organisations in international waters, killing eight alleged narco-terrorists, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced on Tuesday.

According to a post by SOUTHCOM, the strikes took place on Monday under the direction of US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as part of Operation Southern Spear. The operation was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear in the Eastern Pacific.

SOUTHCOM said intelligence confirmed that the three vessels were traveling along known narcotics trafficking routes and were actively engaged in drug smuggling.

"A total of eight male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions, three in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third," SOUTHCOM wrote in an X post.

These latest strikes add to the growing toll of Operation Southern Spear, a campaign launched by the Trump administration to combat drug trafficking in the region. According to earlier US military statements, at least 95 people have been killed in strikes targeting suspected drug vessels since the operation began.

Earlier this month, US forces struck another suspected drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific on December 4, killing four people on board, CNN reported, citing a separate SOUTHCOM statement.

The campaign has attracted scrutiny from lawmakers and legal experts. The Trump administration informed Congress that the United States is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels, which it said began with the first strike on September 2. That day, US forces carried out a second strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean after an initial attack failed to eliminate all individuals on board.

Some Democratic lawmakers and legal analysts have questioned the legality of the strikes, arguing that follow-up attacks could constitute war crimes. The administration defended its actions, labelling those killed as "unlawful combatants" and citing a classified Justice Department determination permitting lethal strikes without judicial review.

The military campaign is part of broader US pressure on Venezuela, including the deployment of thousands of troops and a carrier strike group to the Caribbean, as well as repeated warnings directed at Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Last week, the United States announced new sanctions on shipping companies and vessels accused of assisting in the transport of Venezuelan oil, following the seizure of a sanctioned tanker off Venezuela’s coast, CNN reported.

Source: ANI