US military kills two in ‘lethal kinetic strike’ in Pacific Ocean

The United States Southern Command announced on Monday that it had conducted a military operation killing two people on a suspected drug-trafficking ship in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The military strikes on suspected drug-trafficking ships in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent drugs smuggled out of South America to the U.S. The latest strike occurred on Aug. 23 on a “low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific.” Southern Command intelligence identified the vessel’s involvement in narco-trafficking and traveling along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. The strike was ordered under the direction of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan. Recommended Stories “When I ordered the establishment of Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, it was precisely for this purpose: to accelerate, synchronize, and execute lethal actions against these destabilizing narco-terrorist networks. We are committed to imposing total systemic friction on narco-terrorists — disrupting their operations, dismantling their leadership, and eliminating cartel terror across the region,” said Donovan. It was the first known military strike on suspected drug-traffickers as part of Operation Southern Spear since June 21, when Southern Command targeted a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing two and leaving six survivors. It is believed Sunday’s military strike is the 67th strike since the military operation began, and 223 people have been killed, according to The New York Times.IRAN’S PRESIDENT CALLS FOR PEACE ‘TODAY’ IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ECONOMIC WARFAREDonovan reiterated that the U.S. would not tolerate illegal drug-trafficking vessels operating in its sphere of influence, and the latest strike is a stark reminder that “SOUTHCOM is taking the fight directly to the cartels.”“Let me be clear, we will not permit narco-terrorists to operate with impunity in the Western Hemisphere, nor will we allow their deadly poison to reach American communities, said Donovan. “This operation is a powerful demonstration of our lethal precision, overwhelming capability, and absolute resolve to protect the U.S. homeland.”