US military blows another boat sailing in Latin American waters — 2 killed in Pentagon strike

The US military's recently attack on a suspected drug-trafficking boat as a part of its counterterrorism effort. The latest strike happened on Friday when the vessel was navigating through the eastern Pacific Ocean. In the attack, two people onboard the boat were killed but one survived.

The US Southern Command shared a video and in a post on X stated, “On May 8, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.”

It added, “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action, and one survived the strike. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor. No U.S. military forces were harmed.”

Watch video here:

The US Southern Command shared a video of the boat sailing in the ocean minutes before the missile strike following which plumes of smoke start billowing from the vessel. The moving black object in the video is what the US military's targeted.

This comes two days after the White House announced that US President Donald Trump signed off on a new US counterterrorism strategy. Suggesting it to be the administration's highest priority, Washington said that it seeks to eliminate drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere.

The Trump administration's campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels can be traced back to early September, AP reported. Till now a total of 193 people have been killed in Latin American waters including the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. However, Pentagon has not provided evidence that any of the vessels were carrying drugs.

The military strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks. At the same time, Trump sought cooperation from regional leaders in his campaign against cartels, drug traffickers and transnational gangs. Urging them to take military action themselves against these groups, he asserted that they pose an "unacceptable threat" to the hemisphere's national security. However, Trump's critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on 7 May thanked Trump for getting $1.5 trillion defense budget sanctioned. the post on X states, “Thanks to President Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget, this War Department has moved from bureaucracy to business. This is a FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT in our Arsenal of Freedom—ensuring our military remains the most lethal fighting force in the world.”