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The US military has carried out what it described as a “lethal kinetic strike” against three suspected drug-trafficking vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific, killing eight people, according to US Southern Command. The operation, conducted on December 15 under the direction of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, marks the latest escalation in Washington’s aggressive maritime campaign against what it calls narco-terrorist networks operating in the region. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear targeted three boats travelling along known narcotics routes. Intelligence assessments concluded the vessels were actively engaged in drug trafficking and operated by organisations designated by the US as terrorist groups. Three men were killed on the first vessel, two on the second and three on the third, the command said, adding that all those killed were “male narco-terrorists”.The strike comes against the backdrop of a wider US pressure campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, particularly focused on Venezuela. In recent months, US naval forces have expanded their presence in the region, alongside sanctions and high-profile seizures of vessels accused of transporting illicit oil and drugs. US officials say the operations are aimed at disrupting networks that fund armed groups and hostile regimes through narcotics and smuggling.