Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. military conducted a "lethal kinetic strike" targeting a boat alleged to be shipping narcotics in the eastern Pacific on Monday, killing two people and leaving one survivor, U.S. Southern Command said.
The boat with three people on board was attacked as "intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations," U.S. Southern Command said in a statement.
Little information about the strike was made public by the military branch overseeing operations in the Caribbean and Central and South America. It released an 11-second black-and-white video of the operation, showing a boat speeding across the ocean when its rear engine erupts in flames. The vessel is seemingly struck a second time, causing a second explosion and leading the boat to drastically slow down.
No proof linking the vessel to a designated terrorist organization was provided.
On Feb. 9, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking... pic.twitter.com/fa5vppjcCy— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) February 10, 2026
