U.S. military forces struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing three men the Pentagon said were trafficking drugs, the U.S. Southern Command said in a post.
The command said the operation did not result in any injuries to U.S. personnel. It described the strike as a “lethal kinetic strike” carried out against a vessel it said was operated by a “Designated Terrorist Organization.”
Southern Command said the targeted vessel was transiting along “known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.” In its announcement, the command did not name the organization it linked to the vessel or identify the three men it said were killed.
The announcement also did not provide what the command described as a more precise location for where the strike occurred. It further did not offer evidence of the men’s alleged ties to drug trafficking, according to the description of the announcement.
The latest strike was announced as the Trump administration continues what the Pentagon describes as aggressive anti-cartel actions in international waters. The Associated Press said at least 178 people have been killed in the strikes since the effort began in early September, months before a January operation that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
As with prior announcements cited by the Associated Press, the Southern Command’s brief statement offered the core details of who the command said was targeted and how it characterized the action, while leaving key specifics—such as names, locations, and supporting evidence—unaddressed in the public communication.