The U.S. military launched a deadly strike Saturday against a vessel in the Caribbean that officials said was being used for drug trafficking, killing four suspected “narco-terrorists,” according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
“On September 19, under the direction of #SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal, kinetic strike on a go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean,” the command said in a statement.
SOUTHCOM said intelligence had confirmed that the vessel was actively engaged in narco-trafficking.
Four alleged “narco-terrorists” died in the operation, according to the military.
Video released by U.S. Southern Command shows a suspected narco-trafficking vessel exploding into a fireball during a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean. (U.S. Southern Command)
The latest attack is part of a monthslong Trump administration campaign focused on dismantling cartel-linked drug trafficking networks.
SOUTHCOM has carried out dozens of strikes in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean against vessels it says are linked to “narco-terrorists.”
On Sept. 9, the military reported another strike on a vessel allegedly involved in narco-trafficking. That operation left three people dead.
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U.S. Southern Command said the go-fast vessel was traveling along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean when it was targeted in the lethal military strike. (U.S. Southern Command)
With Saturday’s operation included, the administration’s campaign against suspected cartel vessels has produced at least 231 deaths across at least 69 reported strikes over approximately one year.
Footage released by SOUTHCOM shows the vessel cutting across the water before suddenly bursting into a towering fireball.
In recent weeks, the command has published additional videos appearing to show military forces intercepting and boarding boats suspected of drug trafficking, removing their crews and sinking the vessels.
A suspected narco-trafficking vessel burns after a lethal U.S. military strike in the Caribbean on Sept. 19. (U.S. Southern Command)
Several of the operations recently publicized by SOUTHCOM have focused on vessels allegedly connected to Los Choneros, a group the military has labeled a violent “narco-terrorist” organization.