U.S. forces strike alleged drug boat in Pacific, second since Maduro's capture

The U.S. subject struck an alleged drug-carrying vessel successful the eastbound Pacific connected Thursday, marking the 38th vas to beryllium struck implicit the past 5 months successful Latin American waters, and the 2nd this year.

Two radical were killed successful Thursday's operation, U.S. Southern Command said successful a station connected X. The subject alleged the vessel was operated by a designated violent enactment and was traveling connected "known narco-trafficking routes." It didn't sanction the boat's operator, but the Trump medication has listed respective Latin American cause cartels arsenic violent groups. 

Southern Command shared a little unclassified video of a vessel exploding and bursting into flames.

On Feb. 5, astatine the absorption of #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic onslaught connected a vas operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vas was transiting on known narco-trafficking… pic.twitter.com/B3ctyN1lke

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) February 6, 2026

The subject has present struck astatine slightest 38 vessels crossed 36 airstrikes since aboriginal September, sidesplitting astatine slightest 128 radical successful the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific.

The gait of the vessel strikes has slowed importantly since Jan. 3, erstwhile U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the Trump medication accuses of moving with cause trafficking groups. Just 2 vessels person been struck since then, including a vessel that was hit successful the Pacific connected Jan. 23, and the 1 that was struck connected Thursday.

President Trump has argued the vessel strikes are indispensable to quell narcotics trafficking. His medication has told Congress the U.S. is successful a "non-international equipped conflict" with cause cartels, and the alleged smugglers who unit the boats are "unlawful combatants."

Critics, including Democratic lawmakers, reason the strikes are legally unjustified and impeach the medication of failing to nutrient capable grounds that the boats were carrying drugs toward the U.S. Revelations past twelvemonth that two survivors of the campaign's archetypal onslaught connected Sept. 2 were killed by a follow-on onslaught besides drew steep criticism.

Congressional Democrats person besides broadly criticized the Trump administration's military buildup adjacent Central and South America, including the vessel strikes and Maduro's capture, noting that Congress hasn't authorized the usage of subject force. The medication has asserted that the operations are ineligible and don't necessitate support from lawmakers. Democrats person introduced resolutions that purpose to bounds subject operations successful the region, but they person failed to pass.