Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said a strike in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday killed three men on a vessel it linked to terrorist-designated cartels.
- The operation closed out five strikes since Saturday, bringing this week’s deaths to at least 14 and pushing campaign totals to at least 178 people killed and roughly 53 boats destroyed since September.
- Officials released a brief strike video and said intelligence placed the boat on known drug routes, while reporting no U.S. casualties.
- The administration casts Operation Southern Spear, a maritime campaign launched in September, as armed conflict against cartels and labels those killed unlawful combatants.
- Human rights groups and some lawmakers call the killings unlawful and note the lack of public proof of drugs or cartel ties, as the Coast Guard has suspended searches after several strikes without finding survivors.