Overview
- U.S. forces boarded and inspected the Panama‑flagged, U.S.-sanctioned tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean, with officials saying the operation concluded without incident.
- The Pentagon said Aquila II had operated in defiance of the maritime quarantine on sanctioned vessels linked to Venezuela, noting the ship has a Hong Kong–registered owner and a history of sailing with its transponder off.
- On Feb. 9, U.S. Southern Command reported a lethal kinetic strike by Joint Task Force Southern Spear on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor, with the Coast Guard activated for search and rescue.
- In a separate U.S.–Colombia operation in international waters, authorities intercepted a narcosubmarine carrying roughly 10 tonnes of cocaine, destroyed the drugs valued at about $441 million, and arrested four crew members.
- Since the campaign’s launch in late 2025, media citing U.S. military figures report at least 130 deaths and dozens of vessels destroyed, even as lawmakers and legal experts question the evidence and legality of lethal strikes in international waters.