On December 18, 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 as one of two strikes on vessels in a statement published by @Southcom on Twitter/X on December 18th announcing the strikes on two vessels that were allegedly “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” The second strike on December 18th has been assessed separately in USMAR251218b. 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 can be seen in flames from a different view. A second video shows a boat moving through the water until explosions engulf the boat in flames.

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.