US forces strike suspected narco-trafficking vessel in Eastern Pacific, killing two
U.S. forces carried out a strike that killed two people on a vessel suspected of narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The operation was carried out on August 23 by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere under the direction of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command. The vessel was operating along established narco-trafficking routes, and U.S. intelligence had confirmed its involvement in drug trafficking, according to the command.
Donovan said the task force was created to accelerate and coordinate lethal operations against narco-terrorist networks, with the aim of disrupting their activities, dismantling their leadership and eliminating cartel terror across the region.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced plans to establish Task Force Falcon Strike, described as the first-ever multinational, multi-domain attack drone task force.