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United States military's Southern Command on Thursday said that it had conducted a "lethal kinetic strike" on a vessel allegedly engaged in trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.
The Southern Command in a post on social media X said that the vessel, which was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, was engaged in narco-trafficking operations." "Two narco-terrorists were killed during this action," the US Southern Command said about the strike that took place on February 5. The mission was conducted by Southern Command Commander Gen Francis L Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear. "Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed," the Southern Command X post read. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted the video of the Southern Command action on the boat, which was allegedly carrying drugs. Hegseth had earlier posted that President Donald Trump is "saving American lives". "WINNING: Some top cartel drug-traffickers in the SOUTHCOM AOR have decided to cease all narcotics operations INDEFINITELY due to recent (highly effective) kinetic strikes in the Caribbean," Hegseth posted. "This is deterrence through strength," he added. The action by the US military is the second such strike since the January 3 military operation, in which the US captured the then president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, and cocaine importation conspiracy. Maduro, who is being held in a New York jail, has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Meanwhile, earlier this week, Colombian President Gustavo Petro met with US President Trump, at the White House in what they described as a productive and cordial meeting, following months of mutual criticism and threats of possible US military action against Colombia.Petro said he and Trump maintain different views about how to address drug trafficking, with Trump pushing for a militarised approach, and Petro stressing the need for a strategy that is "intelligent" and "effective" according to an Al-Jazeera report. In October, the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) placed sanctions on Petro, accusing him of "flooding the United States" with drugs, the report added. In a commentary, the Hill news outlet said that since August 2025, the U.S. Navy has deployed a substantial number of warships to the Caribbean. Initially tasked with intercepting drug shipments, then supporting the capture of Nicolas Maduro, these forces are now policing Venezuelan oil exports. Together, these ships and the thousands of sailors aboard them represent the most significant source of American leverage over Venezuela today. (ANI)
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