WASHINGTON: US forces have struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people the Pentagon says were trafficking drugs.
The US Southern Command announced the strike in a social media post early Monday. The death toll from the Trump administration's campaign of bombing boats off Latin America's Caribbean coast and in the eastern Pacific now exceeds 210 after more than 60 strikes.
The Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere “executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.” Intelligence confirmed the vessel was carrying illegal drugs, the statement said.
“We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists -- disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region,” said Gen. Francis Donovan, who leads US Southern Command.
The latest strike comes days after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the US would extend its offensive to land across multiple Latin American countries.
The secretary said during a visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the US to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil. Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement.
Ecuador launched similar missions with the US in March.