US military says it struck vessel in Eastern Pacific, killing two

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 - The U.S. military said on Monday two people had been killed in a strike it launched on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific over the weekend, the latest in a series of similar attacks that Washington says target "narco-terrorists" but human rights groups say amount to extrajudicial killings.

FURTHER DETAILS:

• The U.S. Southern Command said the strike was carried out on Sunday.

• "Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed two narco-terrorists," it said on X.

• It did not identify the individuals targeted or specify their affiliation to any group beyond saying the vessel was "operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific."

• President Donald Trump's administration has been striking vessels that it accuses of transporting narcotics since September 2025. Sunday's strike marked the first in more than two months.

• The U.S. military's strikes on such vessels have killed more than 200 people.

• Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and independent U.N. experts have called the strikes unlawful extrajudicial killings. REUTERS

See more on