US Military Strikes Another Suspected “Drug Boat” in Pacific, Killing Four

The United States military has carried out another strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four men whom U.S. officials alleged were drug traffickers — marking the latest in a controversial and expanding maritime campaign.

According to the U.S. Southern Command, the targeted vessel was operating in international waters, travelling along what U.S. intelligence describes as a known narcotics‑trafficking route, and was controlled by a group designated as a “terrorist organization.”

A video released by the Southern Command reportedly shows the small boat being struck and bursting into flames — a dramatic visual that underscores the lethal force used.

This most recent strike is described as the 22nd under the broader campaign code‑named Operation Southern Spear, launched by the U.S. earlier this fall to target suspected drug‑smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

The rising toll from the strikes is stark: U.S. authorities say the campaign has killed well over 80 individuals since it began.

However, the campaign has drawn growing criticism. Some lawmakers, legal experts, and human‑rights groups question the legality and morality of using military force against boats — arguing the tactic falls outside recognized armed conflict norms, and that “targeted vessels” do not automatically equate to lawful military targets under international law.

Supporters of the campaign, including U.S. defense officials, counter that the strikes are legally justified under internal legal memos that classify designated narcotics‑trafficking groups as “narco‑terrorists,” arguing that the presence of illicit narcotics and the boats’ routes give them military target status.

Yet for critics — including human rights advocates — the lack of publicly shared evidence, the destruction of entire vessels at sea, and repeated lethal strikes have raised serious concerns over accountability and compliance with the laws of war.