On November 15, 2025, the United States military carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel allegedly affiliated with “a Designated Terrorist Organization,” reportedly killing three men described as “narco-terrorists” in international waters in the Eastern Pacific.

This strike was announced by U.S. Southern Command @Southcom on Twitter/X on November 16th, a day after the strike. The statement detailed that the strike on November 15th was on a vessel allegedly “involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics”. In a black and white video included in the post, a boat can briefly be seen moving through the water until it erupts into what appears to be flames and smoke, and is then shown in flames from multiple angles.

There were no additional details found among local sources about the victims.

Methodological note about classification of those killed in this incident

In documenting this incident, Airwars is following the guidance outlined by independent International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law experts, whereby those on the vessels are understood to be civilians, given that the legal framework in which the strikes are being conducted remains in question.

Airwars has therefore included a civilian casualty count of three deaths.