US military kills two people in latest attack on vessel in the Pacific

US says two people were killed in strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, continuing a campaign denounced as illegal.Published On 6 Feb 2026The United States military has said that it killed two people in its latest attack on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean.US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees US military operations in Latin America, said on Thursday that “two narco-terrorists were killed during this action”.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘War on terror’ defence of Trump boat strikes doesn’t hold water: Expertslist 2 of 3US Coast Guard suspends search for survivors of Pacific boat strikelist 3 of 3‘Act of war’: Expert rejects Trump rationale for Venezuela attackend of listSOUTHCOM did not provide any evidence to support its claim that the vessel and the two victims were involved in drug trafficking.US strikes on vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean, which have killed 126 people in at least 34 attacks since the first recorded incident in September 2025, according to the watchdog group Airwars, have been widely denounced as illegal under international law.The latest killings will bring that death toll to at least 128.The Trump administration has defended the strikes by likening drug trafficking to an armed attack on the US and designating numerous criminal groups involved in the drug trade as “terrorist” organisations.International legal scholars, rights workers and regional leaders have dismissed the US claims, warning that the strikes constitute extrajudicial killings and that no state of armed conflict exists to justify such operations. About 38 vessels have been attacked across 36 strikes carried out by US forces.“There is no authority in international law for using military force on the high seas to kill suspected drug traffickers or narco gangs,” Ben Saul, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on protecting rights while countering terrorism, said previously.