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US conducts eastern Pacific strike, killing two accused drug traffickers

The US military said the strike was carried out along established narcotrafficking routes, and it lifted the campaign death toll to more than 210 after over 60 attacks.

US forces struck a low-profile vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of trafficking drugs, according to the US military. The attack was described by US Southern Command as a lethal kinetic strike carried out along established narcotrafficking routes.

The campaign, which has involved bombing boats alleged to be involved in narcotrafficking across Latin America, now has a death toll exceeding 210 after more than 60 strikes off the Caribbean coast and in the eastern Pacific, the report said. The Pentagon did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs, as it has in many prior statements.

The latest strike was reported as the first attack announced in about two months. It also comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to pursue deals with allied nations to expand operations in the region.

During a visit to Panama this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras agreed to allow the US to conduct joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil, while Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement, the report added. General Francis Donovan, who leads US Southern Command, said the US is committed to disrupting narcotrafficking operations and dismantling cartels.

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