US military resumes strikes on narcoboats, killing four in latest operation

The US military says it has carried out another strike on a suspected narcoboat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, ending a pause of nearly three weeks as lawmakers intensify scrutiny of the Pentagon’s lethal campaign against suspected narcotics traffickers.

US Southern Command said in a statement on X that four people were killed in the latest operation, conducted under Operation Southern Spear, a mission targeting maritime drug trafficking.

“Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a designated terrorist organisation,” the command said.

It added that intelligence indicated the boat was carrying illicit narcotics along a known trafficking route.

The strike comes amid bipartisan criticism over a 2 September attack in which US forces are said to have launched a follow-up strike that killed survivors of an initial hit on another suspected drug vessel.

Lawmakers from both parties have questioned the legality and oversight of the campaign, and several Democrats have called for US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign.

According to figures released by the Trump administration, 23 suspected drug boats have been targeted since the operation began, with at least 87 people killed.

Congress has not authorised the use of military force specifically for these maritime strikes, and attempts to limit the president’s authority have been blocked by the Republican-controlled House.

Admiral denies issuing unlawful order

A congressional inquiry into the 2 September incident is now under way. On Thursday, Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who oversees elements of the operation, briefed lawmakers in a closed classified session.

He denied issuing, receiving or relaying any “kill them all” or “no quarter” instruction attributed to Hegseth in media reports.

“Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order,” said Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.

However, lawmakers emerging from briefings offered differing accounts of what the two survivors were doing when they were killed, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the incident. Some members have suggested the operation may raise questions under the laws of armed conflict.

Political reactions split

Many Republican lawmakers aligned with former President Donald Trump have defended the administration’s approach, arguing that aggressive interdiction is necessary to disrupt transnational criminal networks.

Democrats, meanwhile, have pressed for more transparency, citing the lack of explicit congressional authorisation and the civilian death toll.

The campaign, which has focused largely on waters near Venezuela, has fuelled diplomatic friction with Caracas.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused Washington of using counter-narcotics operations as cover for efforts to destabilise his government, an allegation US officials deny.

Meanwhile, Washington has designated the Cartel of the Suns — a loose network of Venezuelan military commanders and other top figures accused of organised drug trafficking — a foreign terrorist organisation.

The US has also accused Maduro, who faces US narco-terrorism charges filed in 2020, of leading the group, which he has repeatedly denied.