US military kills 4 men in strike on suspected drug vessel in Eastern Pacific

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US military said Thursday that it killed four men in a strike on a suspected drug vessel in the Eastern Pacific, describing the target as a ship operated by a designated terrorist organization and used for narcotics trafficking.

US Southern Command announced the operation on the US social media company X’s platform, saying the action was taken under orders from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

It said intelligence showed the vessel “was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific.”

"Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed,” according to the statement.

The US has carried out at least 22 strikes in both the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean on boats suspected of transporting narcotics since September, killing at least 87 people.

The latest attack came amid discussions that Hegseth ordered the killing of survivors in a follow-on attack in September, which the administration rejects.