US military strikes destroy 3 ‘narco-terrorist’ vessels, killing 11: SOUTHCOM

The U.S. military conducted airstrikes on three ships it said were operated by “designated terrorist organizations” and were engaged in narcotics trafficking, the U.S. Southern Command said Tuesday.

SOUTHCOM says 11 people were killed in the airstrikes, all men. Images provided by the military show each of the struck ships. The Pentagon did not specify where the strikes took place.

“Late on February 16, under the direction of #SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted three lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting known drug trafficking routes and engaged in drug trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement published on X.

Eleven male narcoterrorists were killed during these actions, 4 on the first ship in the Eastern Pacific, 4 on the second ship in the Eastern Pacific, and 3 on the third ship in the Caribbean. No U.S. military forces were injured,” the statement continued.

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The Pentagon claims to have carried out three strikes on Monday against narcoterrorist ships. (Pentagon)

No American service members were injured during the operation, the command added.

US military launches deadly strike on drug smuggling ship in Pacific, killing 2, 1 survivor

SOUTHCOM is responsible for military operations in Central and South America and the Caribbeanincluding counternarcotics missions aimed at disrupting drug trafficking networks that threaten U.S. interests.

The United States Southern Command says it carried out deadly strikes against three ships linked to designated terrorist organizations, killing 11 suspected narcoterrorists late on February 16, 2026. (@Southcom/X)

The United States has carried out at least 41 strikes against suspected drug-trafficking ships, killing 144 people in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacificas part of efforts to dismantle narcoterrorist networks operated by designated terrorist organizations.

The U.S. Southern Command said military forces detected suspicious activity along known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. (COM SOUTH)

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Monday night’s strikes were the seventh carried out this year against suspected drug-trafficking vessels.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.