The United States military has carried out another lethal strike against a suspected drug-trafficking vessel operating in the Caribbean, killing four people described by authorities as narco-terrorists.
The U.S. Southern Command said the strike was conducted on October 4 by the Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere after intelligence indicated that the go-fast vessel was operating along established narcotics-trafficking routes and actively transporting drugs.
According to the command, the operation resulted in the destruction of the vessel and the deaths of all four suspected traffickers aboard. No U.S. military personnel were injured in the operation.
Unclassified thermal imagery released by the military showed the vessel moving across the water under a targeting reticle before being struck. The footage captured a rapid explosion that destroyed the boat, leaving debris and a plume of smoke on the water.
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The operation is the latest in a series of U.S. military actions targeting vessels allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
U.S. authorities said the strikes form part of a broader effort to disrupt maritime drug-trafficking networks and prevent narcotics from reaching the United States.
The Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere was established earlier this year to coordinate U.S. military efforts against suspected maritime drug-trafficking operations across the region.
Previous operations have similarly involved intelligence gathering and confirmation of suspected trafficking activity before lethal strikes were carried out against targeted vessels.
The latest operation comes amid an intensified U.S. campaign against suspected narcotics-trafficking networks operating along maritime routes in the Western Hemisphere.
Southern Command said the October 4 strike was conducted after intelligence confirmed the vessel’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking, but did not immediately provide further details about the type or quantity of narcotics reportedly being transported.