Two dead as US military strike alleged drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific

Two men have died and one survived after a U.S. military strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday.

Footage released by U.S. Southern Command depicts a dark, boat-like shape before an apparent explosion, followed by a column of fire erupting from the sea.

Southern Command confirmed it "immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor."

The incident follows a White House announcement on Wednesday that President Donald Trump has endorsed a new US counterterrorism strategy, which designates the elimination of drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere as the administration’s top priority.

This campaign, initiated by the Trump administration in early September, involves the destruction of suspected drug-trafficking vessels across Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea.

It has reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 193 individuals.

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Crucially, the military has yet to provide any evidence confirming that these vessels were carrying drugs. The strikes have ramped up again in recent weeks.

At the same time, Trump has sought to press regional leaders to work more closely with the U.S. to target cartels and take military action themselves against drug traffickers and transnational gangs that he says pose an “unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere’s national security.

Critics, meanwhile, have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes.

The Trump administration’s campaign of destroying suspected drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has been ongoing since early September, with a total death toll now reaching at least 191 people.

Despite global tensions, these strikes have intensified in recent weeks, underscoring the administration’s unwavering commitment to what it terms "narcoterrorism" in the Western Hemisphere.

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However, the military has yet to provide any evidence that the targeted vessels were actually carrying drugs.

These operations commenced as the U.S. established its largest military presence in the region in generations, months before the January raid that led to the capture of then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was subsequently brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

President Donald Trump has declared the U.S. to be in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America, justifying the attacks as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States and combat fatal overdoses.

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