Tension Escalates in Pacific: US Kills 5 in Fresh Strikes on Two Vessels 

By Staff, Agencies 

US military forces have carried out lethal strikes on two vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, as part of the ongoing Operation Southern Spear- a military campaign launched by the Trump administration under the pretext of combating narcotics trafficking.

Acting under the orders of US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, the military claimed the boats were linked to groups it labels as “Designated Terrorist Organizations” and accused them of involvement in drug trafficking.

The assault resulted in the killing of five individuals-three on one vessel and two on the other. As in previous operations, no US personnel were harmed.

This brings the number of people killed by US strikes on similar vessels to at least 101, as Washington intensifies its military operations across the region. On Monday alone, the US targeted three other vessels in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals.

Critics, lawmakers, and legal experts have denounced the strikes as illegal under international law.

On Wednesday, at the direction of US War Secretary Pete Hegseth and is part of “Operation Southern Spear,” the US military carried out another strike in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people aboard what Washington claims was a drug-trafficking vessel, according to the US Southern Command.

In a statement posted on X, the US Southern Command said that Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a “lethal kinetic strike” on a boat allegedly operated by what it labeled as a Designated Terrorist Organization, claiming the vessel was traveling along a known narcotics route.