US military kills 4 in strike on suspected drug-trafficking vessel in Caribbean

The US military carried out a strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean, killing four people, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Sunday.

In a statement, SOUTHCOM said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere conducted a “lethal, kinetic strike” on a high-speed vessel operating along established drug-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.

“Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” the command said.

SOUTHCOM described those killed in the operation as “narco-terrorists.”

It also released footage of the operation showing the vessel moving through the water before being struck and engulfed in an explosion.