U.S. forces carried out an attack this Thursday against a vessel allegedly operated by drug trafficking organizations in international waters of the Pacific, near Colombia, resulting in the deaths of two crew members during the operation framed within the 'Southern Spear' mission. U.S. Southern Command announced the lethal strike with a video posted on its social media and confirmed the death of the two individuals, whom it described as 'narcoterrorists.' At least 119 people have died since August 2025 in attacks on presumed drug-laden ships as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, which the Trump administration says aims to reduce drug trafficking. The new attack on a vessel in the Pacific comes amid Colombian President Gustavo Petro's official visit to Washington, where he met with his counterpart, Donald Trump, following their previous disagreements. The presence of U.S. military ships and aircraft in international waters began in the Caribbean and preceded the January 3 military intervention with which the Trump administration detained Nicolás Maduro in Caracas to transfer him to a federal prison in New York.
