U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) carried out a strike in the eastern Pacific against a boat accused of ferrying narcotics, resulting in the deaths of three individuals identified as "narco-terrorists".
The U.S. military has conducted dozens of lethal kinetic strikes against vessels in international waters as part of an escalating campaign against drug trafficking. Deadly Strike
These strikes have faced scrutiny from legal experts and some members of Congress who question whether using lethal military force against civilian vessels in international waters—rather than law enforcement boarding and seizure—violates international maritime law. Conflict in the Middle East and Africa Deadly Strike
