US launches deadly strike on alleged drug boat, believed to be the first in two months | CNN Politics

The US military said early Monday it struck an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, marking the first known strike in more than two months. “Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific,” US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a statement on X. Two people were killed in the strike on Sunday, according to SOUTHCOM. The strikes are believed to be the first since June 21. It was not clear why the strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific paused, as CNN has reported. Prior to the pause, the US military had destroyed at least 67 vessels and killed at least 221 people since the “Operation Southern Spear” campaign began in September 2025, according to official announcements and CNN’s analysis of search and rescue efforts. The US military hasn’t blown up an alleged drug boat in a month. Has the campaign worked? The administration has told Congress the US is in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels, labeling those killed “unlawful combatants” and claiming the ability to engage in lethal strikes without judicial review due to a