U.S. Southern Command executed two consecutive strikes in the Eastern Pacific on April 24 and 26, resulting in five suspected narco-terrorists killed without harm to American forces.
On April 26, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike under Gen. Francis L. Donovan’s orders against a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narcotics operations, leading to three fatalities.
The April 24 operation killed two suspected narco-terrorists aboard a similar vessel.
According to a New York Times tracker, Operation Southern Spear has involved 54 strikes across the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean since its inception, with an estimated 185 individuals killed in these operations.
Gen. Donovan stated that Joint Task Force Southern Spear has intercepted six vessels transporting sanctioned oil within U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. He described the operation as a sustained campaign to detect, disrupt, and dismantle narco-terrorist networks.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear continues to conduct decisive operations to detect, disrupt, and dismantle narco-terrorist networks,” Donovan said. “In support of the President’s directives, the U.S. Coast Guard’s Maritime Security Response Team, accompanied by U.S. Marine Corps Special Purpose Forces, continue to target illicit maritime activities.”