Dec 16, 2025 - Politics & Policy

U.S. military strikes on 3 suspected drug boats kill 8, SOUTHCOM says

Rebecca Falconer

Black and white aerial view of a boat moving through water, creating a wake behind it. The image is marked "UNCLASSIFIED" in green at the top. — Screenshot: U.S. Southern Command

The U.S. military said it struck three more alleged drug boats in the Eastern Pacific on Monday and killed eight men suspected of being "narco-terrorists."

The big picture: The Trump administration's military drive targeting suspected drug boats has resulted in the deaths of an estimated 95 people since September and triggered congressional investigations into the legality of the action.

Driving the news: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the latest operation that saw the U.S. military conduct "lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters," per a SOUTHCOM statement.

"Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking," the statement said.
The statement did not provide details of how officials reached this confirmation, but said that three of the men were killed in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third.

Go deeper: Hegseth says U.S. has "only just begun" sinking alleged drug vessels

Add Axios on Google

U.S. military strikes on 3 suspected drug boats kill 8, SOUTHCOM says

What to read next