US military kills 4 'narco-terrorists' in Caribbean strike

US Southern Command said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere conducted a lethal strike against a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean on Tuesday, killing four people Washington described as "narco-terrorists."

The command said the "lethal kinetic strike" targeted a go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes. "Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed four narco-terrorists," SOUTHCOM said on the US social media platform X, adding that unclassified footage of the operation was also released.

Command vows continued pressure

SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan said the operations target cartel infrastructure across the region. "Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere continues executing precise, lethal operations against the cartels," he said, adding: "We will hunt, disrupt, and defeat these narco-terrorist networks."

The strike marks the latest in a series of US military operations targeting drug-trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere. Washington has intensified counternarcotics campaigns in recent months, deploying additional assets to monitor Caribbean transit routes.