U.S. strikes another boat in eastern Pacific, killing 4
Originally Published: 17 DEC 25 20:38 ET
Updated: 17 DEC 25 20:47 ET
By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, CNN
(CNN) — The US military conducted a strike against another alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, killing 4 people, according to US Southern Command.
“On Dec. 17, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”
SOUTHCOM added no US service members were harmed in the strike.
Wednesday’s attack marks the second this week, after the US struck three alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday, killing 8 people.
At least 99 people have now been killed in strikes on suspected drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the Trump administration has said is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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