U.S. Southern Command executed a lethal kinetic strike on April 26 that killed three male narco-terrorists aboard a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations, with no American forces harmed. The operation was conducted under the direction of SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan and involved Joint Task Force Southern Spear.
A separate strike on April 24 targeted another suspected drug-trafficking vessel, resulting in two male narco-terrorists being killed. Both operations were part of Operation Southern Spear, a sustained campaign targeting transnational criminal networks in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean.
Military data indicates the operation has now conducted 54 strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels, with an estimated death toll of 185 individuals. SOUTHCOM reported that Joint Task Force Southern Spear has intercepted six vessels illegally transporting sanctioned oil within its area of responsibility and emphasized efforts to disrupt illicit maritime financing networks.
The campaign represents a coordinated pressure operation aimed at dismantling narco-terrorist infrastructure and forcing cartel networks to reconsider their use of waters near the Western Hemisphere for trafficking activities.
