By: Staff Writer
February 20, 2026
US Military boat strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean seas have killed 11 suspected drug traffickers in three separate strikes on February 16.
According to the military, two of the strikes occurred in the eastern Pacific and one in the Caribbean. Four people were killed in each of the Pacific engagements, and three were killed in the Caribbean strike. U.S. officials reported no American casualties. Southern Command described the actions as “lethal kinetic strikes” and released video footage showing small boats being hit and engulfed in flames.
“Eleven male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions, 4 on the first vessel in the Eastern Pacific, 4 on the second vessel in the Eastern Pacific, and 3 on the third vessel in the Caribbean,” SOUTHCOM wrote on X.
The command noted that the operation was authorized by the commander, General Francis L. Donovan. They also added that the vessel was moving along a known drug trafficking route and was linked to the transportation of drugs to the US.
Operation Southern Spear And Its Scope
The strikes are part of an ongoing campaign known as Operation Southern Spear, launched in September 2025. The operation uses U.S. naval forces, aircraft, and intelligence assets to interdict suspected maritime drug traffickers in waters off Latin America. The administration has characterized some of the targeted groups as “narco-terrorists,” arguing their activities pose both criminal and national security threats.
Since the operation began, U.S. forces have conducted more than 40 maritime engagements resulting in at least 145 deaths, according to compiled military reporting. The February 16 strikes represent one of the deadliest single days in the campaign.
The Trump administration has justified these attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs, but has provided little evidence to support claims of killing “narcoterrorists.” The high death toll and lack of transparency around these operations have raised concerns about the legality and efficacy of the military’s actions.
President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assert that the strikes are meant to disrupt cartel trafficking and prevent drugs from reaching the U.S. border.
SOUTHCOM oversees military operations and security cooperation in Central and South America and the Caribbean. The region has long been a major transit zone for illicit narcotics bound for the United States and other international markets.
The Pentagon has not publicly released detailed evidence showing what specific contraband was on board the vessels at the time of the strikes. Officials have stated that the boats were moving along established trafficking corridors and were assessed to be involved in drug smuggling operations.