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SOUTHCOM Resumes Bombing Boats Accused of Drug Smuggling

HeadlineAug 25, 2026
Image Credit: U.S. Southern Command

The Pentagon says it has resumed strikes on boats in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean after a two-month pause. On Monday, U.S. Southern Command said two people were killed after it carried out a “lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes” in the Pacific Ocean. Once again, the Pentagon provided no evidence the boat was carrying drugs. Since President Trump launched a boat bombing campaign nearly a year ago, SOUTHCOM says it’s killed at least 223 people. Amnesty International has condemned the strikes as extrajudicial killings, a form of murder, saying they amount to crimes under international law.

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