US Southern Command puts it this way: on June 21st, a strike in the Caribbean Sea made short work of two suspects and left six to be picked up. It’s one of over 60 such actions since September, with a body count in excess of 210.
What US Southern Command says
SOUTHCOM is saying the boat in question was run by some Designated Terrorist Organizations and was on a well-worn path for moving product. Their intel had them in the middle of a narco-trafficking op when they hit it.
General Francis L. Donovan, the SOUTHCOM chief, called the shots for the task force. We can tell you there were no US service members hurt in the process.
How the operation unfolded
They call it a lethal kinetic strike on a speeder at sea. You can see what looks like a video of it on social media – a boat making time before something comes in and sets it on fire. But we have no way to confirm it on our end.
Search and rescue response
Right after the fact, SOUTHCOM put the US Coast Guard on it to get the search-and-rescue in motion. The military says the Coast Guard was able to bring in all six of the survivors.
Here is the breakdown from officials:
– Two male suspects are dead
– Six men were recovered
– Zero US injuries
Why the strike matters
For Washington, this is about the so-called narco-terrorists who have the run of the Americas with their cocaine and other contraband. The idea is to put a stop to the networks behind the overdoses and the trade.
You’ve seen the campaign step up with Donald Trump in the White House. He’s been open about viewing the big cartels as terrorist outfits and the US as being in a fight with them. In his view, these kinds of moves are what it takes to slow the flow of narcotics.
What we know about the wider campaign
The numbers are hard to miss: more than 60 strikes on suspected traffickers in the region since the fall, and over 210 dead, per the official word.
SOUTHCOM will have you believe they are going after ships in the smuggling lanes. They haven’t, however, put out any specifics on the hardware or the platforms involved.
What remains unclear
We don’t have names or ties for the ones who didn’t make it in the Caribbean. Nor do we have any info on where the vessel was from or what it was carrying.
Other than to say the survivors are in and there were no US losses, the military has been tight-lipped. So for now, we can’t put a stamp of approval on the video or the rest of the story.
The immediate next steps
As far as the military is concerned, the Coast Guard has done its job and the coast is clear. Don’t expect any dates for when they might come forward with identities or a post-op report.
Now we’ll have to see if this gives us any new leads on the routes and if we’re to expect more of the same at sea. All signs from SOUTHCOM point to the fact that they are still very much in the game, with their eyes on the water.
