Latest attack brings death toll from US strikes on vessels to 170
Published On 14 Apr 2026
The United States military has carried out another attack on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people, in the latest deadly strike by US forces on boats that Washington alleges have links to Latin American drug trafficking cartels.
US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), responsible for Washington’s military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, confirmed the attack on social media, claiming to have killed two “male narco-terrorists” without evidence.
Key Points:
- SOUTHCOM confirms deadly attack on boat in the eastern Pacific
- Targeted vessel allegedly involved in narco-trafficking
- US military under scrutiny for extrajudicial killings
Based on intelligence reports, the boat was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was targeted with a lethal kinetic strike on the orders of US Commander General Francis L Donovan.
A video clip shows the boat under attack from the air, exploding into flames.
This marks the second consecutive day of deadly strikes on boats in the Pacific by SOUTHCOM. The attack on Monday brings the total death toll to at least 170 people in strikes since September.
International law experts, human rights groups, and regional governments have criticized the Trump administration for these attacks, accusing them of extrajudicial killings in international waters without solid evidence linking the vessels to drug trafficking.
