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US military blows up alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 2 and leaving 1 survivor

The strike was part of Operation Southern Spear, with 130 people killed in 38 strikes since September, as the US targets vessels linked to drug trafficking networks.

  • On Feb. 9, SOUTHCOM said, at the direction of its commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, that the US military struck an alleged drug‑trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two with one survivor.
  • Operation Southern Spear has killed at least 121 people since September, with the first known attack on Sept. 2 including a follow-up strike that killed two initial survivors.
  • Multiple current and former military lawyers told CNN the strikes do not appear lawful, while officials presented little public evidence linking those killed to drug cartels or drugs on the vessels.
  • The US Coast Guard was notified to activate a search-and-rescue mission for the survivor, and CNN has reached out for details; Monday's strike was the third publicly known attack this year and the second that left a survivor after a January strike.
  • The administration labeled those killed 'unlawful combatants' and cited a classified Justice Department finding, but military lawyers and Congress question oversight and the campaign's legality.
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2 killed in new Eastern Pacific boat strike, SOUTHCOM says

(NEW YORK) — U.S. Southern Command announced on Monday that its forces conducted a new airstrike against an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing two people aboard and leaving one survivor. SOUTHCOM said in a statement posted to X that it “immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivor.” The statement was accompanied by video of the strike. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel …

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USNI News broke the news in on Monday, February 9, 2026.
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