US says two killed in boat strike as toll climbs over 180
This screen grab obtained from a video released by the US Central Command on their X account @CENTCOM on March 20, 2026 shows a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US forces carried out a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, leaving three survivors, the US military said on March 20. The strike the previous day hit a “low profile vessel (that) was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X. Despite describing it as a “lethal kinetic strike,” SOUTHCOM did not provide a death toll, saying only that the Coast Guard was “immediately” notified to search for the three survivors. Asked about the apparent discrepancy, SOUTHCOM said it had “nothing further to add.” (Photo by US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)
April 24, 2026
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—The United States (US) military said it killed two people in a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel Friday, as the death toll of Washington’s campaign against “narco-terrorists” in Latin America climbed to at least 182.
The military “conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” the US Southern Command, which is responsible for Washington’s forces in the region, said in an X post.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” it added, echoing language it has used to describe dozens of deadly operations since the campaign began last September.
US military officials have claimed at least seven such strikes in April, bringing the total toll of people killed in these operations at least 182, according to an AFP tally.
The Trump administration has provided no definitive evidence that the vessels it targets are involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the legality of the operations.
International legal experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.
