US kills 4 in 'lethal, kinetic' strike on drug vessel in Caribbean
08:53, 05/10/2026, MondayU: Update: 09:03, 05/10/2026, Monday
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File photoThe US Southern Command announced Sunday that Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere conducted a "lethal, kinetic strike" on a high-speed vessel operating along established drug-trafficking routes in the Caribbean, killing four people it described as "narco-terrorists" and releasing operational footage.
The US Southern Command on Sunday announced that American forces had killed four people in a "lethal, kinetic strike" against a suspected drug-trafficking vessel operating in Caribbean waters, describing the deceased as "narco-terrorists."
Operation details
Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out the strike against the high-speed vessel along established drug-trafficking routes in Caribbean waters, according to the command's statement. "Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking," SOUTHCOM said.
Casualties and footage
SOUTHCOM described those killed in the operation as "narco-terrorists." The military released footage showing the vessel moving through the water before being struck and engulfed in a massive explosion on Sunday.
The strike marks the latest in a series of heightened counternarcotics operations conducted by US forces in Caribbean waters this year. Washington has intensified maritime interdiction efforts targeting high-value trafficking corridors used to transport illegal narcotics from South America.