The US Southern Command said on Monday it carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operating in the eastern Pacific, killing two on board.
"Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed two narco-terrorists," SOUTHCOM said in a post on X/Twitter.
"We will not permit narco-terrorists to operate with impunity in the Western Hemisphere, nor will we allow their deadly poison to reach American communities. This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the US homeland," said SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.
At least a dozen such strikes have been carried out in the waters surrounding the United States in the past year.
Precedent of lethal force against 'narco-terrorists' set during Trump administration
The US military began using lethal force against drug cartels during the second Trump administration, after they were classified as unlawful combatants.
The first strike occurred on September 1, 2025, when the US Navy launched an airstrike on a vessel in the southern Caribbean suspected of carrying drug traffickers, killing all 11 occupants.
More recently, the US military struck a vessel in the Caribbean, killing two people, alleging that the vessel was operated by "designated terrorist organizations" that it did not identify.
Some rights groups condemned the attacks as "extrajudicial killings."
The use of the military to attack suspected drug vessels represents a stark departure from how the US has historically dealt with such vessels.
Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.