U.S. Military Strike Kills Four Narco‑Terrorists, Destroys Drug Vessel in Eastern Pacific

U.S. Southern Command announced Thursday that American forces carried out a lethal kinetic strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four suspected narco‑terrorists and destroying their heavily laden smuggling vessel. The attack, directed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under Operation Southern Spear, marks the 22nd strike against cartel‑linked traffickers in international waters and brings the total number of narco‑terrorists killed to nearly 90. The strikes continue despite harsh criticism from some lawmakers in Congress.

U.S. Military forces launched an attack that killed four suspected narco-terrorists and destroyed the vessel they were using to transport illicit narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. Southern Command announced the lethal kinetic strike in a social media post on X late Thursday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Southern Command, the latest kinetic strike on a drug smuggling vessel occurred on Thursday in international waters. The strike was carried out at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Those killed in the strike were described as “Four male narco-terrorists” in the social media post.

Thursday’s lethal kinetic military strike, carried out under Operation Southern Spear, is the 22^nd such strike on a narco-terrorist-operated vessel operating in international waters within the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean. The number of narco-terrorists killed in Thursday’s strike brings the total number of fatalities to approximately 87.

The post on X included unclassified video that showed a heavily laden marine vessel with three outboard motors bursting into flames after being struck by U.S. military ordnance. Thursday’s strike was the first strike since November 15.

The latest attack under Operation Southern Spear, a broad campaign conducted by the U.S. military to detect and destroy narcotics trafficking networks in the Western Hemisphere, marks the 12th such strike in the eastern Pacific. Despite criticism from some lawmakers, primarily Democrats who assert the strikes do not fall within the authority of President Trump’s powers as Commander in Chief, Kingsley Wilson, Pentagon Press Secretary, says the lethal kinetic strikes have been thoroughly vetted by the proper authorities.

Wilson commented on the strikes during a recent press conference, saying, “Our operations in the Southcom region are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict. These actions have also been approved by the best military and civilian lawyers up and down the chain of command.”

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth recently received criticism in a now-debunked Washington Post report that Hegseth personally ordered a “double-tap” strike during a September 2 kinetic strike that killed 11 narco-terrorist smugglers in the Caribbean. Pentagon Press Secretary Wilson addressed the debunked news story on Tuesday, saying the “double-tap strike on the narco-terror vessel on September 2 was ordered by U.S. Special Operations Command’s top leader, Navy Admiral Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley, and not Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

During a closed‑door briefing to members of Congress on Thursday morning, Admiral Bradley defended the ongoing campaign of lethal kinetic strikes against narco‑terrorist vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Bradley emphasized that Operation Southern Spear is a lawful and necessary extension of America’s national security mission, designed to dismantle cartel networks that threaten both U.S. citizens and regional stability.

Bradley told lawmakers that the strikes are conducted under strict rules of engagement and reviewed by military and civilian legal authorities before execution. He underscored that every operation is carried out in compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict and international maritime law, noting that cartel‑linked traffickers are increasingly using heavily armed vessels to move narcotics across international waters.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee pressed Bradley on the scope of the campaign and its effectiveness. The admiral responded, citing intelligence assessments showing that the strikes have disrupted multiple trafficking routes and destroyed dozens of cartel vessels. He reported the elimination of nearly 90 narco‑terrorists since the operation began. Bradley added that the campaign has forced cartels to expend greater resources on maritime smuggling, weakening their ability to move drugs into the U.S. interior.

Admiral Bradley also addressed recent media reports alleging improper targeting decisions. He clarified that all strike authorizations flow through the chain of command and are not made unilaterally by civilian officials. “These operations are planned and executed by our military leadership with full oversight,” Bradley said, pushing back against claims that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth personally ordered controversial strikes.

The response from Republican and Democrat lawmakers was predictably polar. Sen. Tom Cotton (R‑Arkansas), Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, supported the action by U.S. military forces, saying:

The first strike, the second strike and the third and the fourth strike on Sept. 2 were entirely lawful and needful and they were exactly what we would expect our military commanders to do. What’s disturbing to me is that millions of Americans have died from drugs being run to America by these cartels. What’s gratifying to me is that the President has made the decision finally, after decades of letting it happen, that we’re going to take the battle to them.

Sen. Jack Reed (D‑Rhode Island), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, took the opposite view, saying:

This briefing confirmed my worst fears about the nature of the Trump administration’s military activities, and demonstrates exactly why the Senate Armed Services Committee has repeatedly requested — and been denied — fundamental information, documents and facts about this operation.

The latest strike under Operation Southern Spear underscores the Trump administration’s aggressive posture against cartel‑linked narco‑terrorists operating in international waters. Pentagon officials insist the campaign is both lawful and effective in disrupting drug networks before they reach U.S. shores. Despite partisan criticism, military leaders and the Secretary of War maintain that these operations are vital to national security and will continue until cartel smuggling routes are dismantled.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.