U.S. military strikes another alleged drug vessel; search on for 1 survivor

The U.S. subject struck its 39th alleged drug-carrying vessel connected Monday, sidesplitting 2 radical and leaving 1 subsister who is present the absorption of a search-and-rescue effort.

The military's Southern Command said successful a post connected X it struck a vas that was "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations"  and "engaged successful narco-trafficking operations." It did not sanction the radical that allegedly operated the boat, but the Trump medication has listed respective Latin American cause cartels arsenic overseas violent groups.

A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson told CBS News that Southern Command notified it connected Monday astir a "person successful distress," and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center Ecuador is organizing a search-and-rescue effort for the person.

On Feb. 9, astatine the absorption of #SOUTHCOM commandant 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/fa5vppjcCy

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) February 10, 2026

Some 130 radical person been killed since the U.S. subject began striking alleged cause boats successful the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean past September. The gait of the strikes slowed somewhat aft Jan. 3, erstwhile U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Monday's vessel onslaught is the 3rd known onslaught since then.

In astatine slightest 5 instances, radical person survived the operations, spurring efforts to find and rescue them successful astir cases. Authorities person called disconnected respective of those searches, though successful 1 October operation, 2 survivors were picked up by a Navy helicopter and repatriated to their location countries of Ecuador and Colombia.

The military's handling of survivors has drawn aggravated scrutiny. During the archetypal vessel onslaught connected Sept. 2, 2 radical survived an archetypal onslaught but were killed successful a follow-on attack, prompting accusations the 2nd onslaught whitethorn person constituted a warfare crime. Democratic lawmakers who watched a video of the Sept. 2 operation were hightly captious of the strike. The Defense Department and respective legislature Republicans person insisted the survivors whitethorn person inactive been successful the fight, warranting the follow-on strike.

The Trump medication has said the strikes are indispensable to combat narcotics trafficking. It has labeled the alleged seaborne cause smugglers arsenic "unlawful combatants," and told Congress the U.S. is embroiled successful a "non-international equipped conflict" with cartels.

Most Democratic lawmakers person criticized the strikes, arguing the medication hasn't provided capable grounds that the boats were trafficking drugs to the U.S. and has failed to get authorization from Congress for the subject campaign. Several efforts by legislature Democrats to restrict the vessel strikes person fallen abbreviated successful the House and Senate.