One killed in latest US strike on 'narco-trafficking' boat in Pacific - with at least 194 killed since September

A US military strike on what it called a "narco-trafficking" vessel killed one person and saw a rescue mission launched for the two survivors.

The US Southern Command - the military branch operating in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean - posted a video on X in the early hours of Wednesday morning showing an explosion as the vessel was struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Also seen in the night vision clip was the smoking aftermath, where the vessels are left sitting in the water after the strike.

Southern Command said it "immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivors".

It's unclear where the strikes took place, but Southern Command said they were part of Operation Southern Spear - the Trump administration's targeting of vessels designated as drug smugglers in the Caribbean and Latin America.

After its launch last September, the campaign was expanded to include the US's operations against Venezuela, which culminated in the capture of president Nicolas Maduro in January.

Since the campaign began, the US has killed at least 194 people, alleged to be what they call "narco-terrorists", in strikes on vessels in the Pacific.

No evidence has been provided by the US that any of the ships struck were carrying drugs, but it has repeatedly insisted that targeted vessels were transporting narcotics.

The Pentagon inspector general's office said t will evaluate whether the U.S. military followed an established targeting framework when carrying out the attacks.

Mr Trump previously said drug cartels were a threat to US "national security, foreign policy, and vital US interests".

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Human rights groups have repeatedly questioned the legality of American strikes, with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International branding them as "unlawful extrajudicial killings".

It comes as the Pentagon inspector general said last week that it will evaluate whether the US military followed an established targeting framework when carrying out the attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats.

The Pentagon inspector general's office said the review was "self-initiated" and it will not investigate the legality of the strikes.

(c) Sky News 2026: One killed in latest US strike on 'narco-trafficking' boat in Pacific - with at l