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

This strike was announced as one of three strikes on vessels in a statement published by @Southcom on Twitter/X on December 15th announcing the strikes on three vessels that were allegedly “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking”. The other two strikes on December 15th have been assessed separately in USMAR251215a and USMAR251215c. In a black and white video included in the post, a boat can be seen moving through the water until it erupts into what appear to be flames and smoke and briefly pans out to show the boat stationary and in flames. A second video shows a boat floating in the water until it explodes and a later angle shows two items floating in the water, and then a third video shows a boat moving through the water until an explosion causes flames and smoke.

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 two deaths.