On June 21, at the direction of the commander of U.S. Southern Command, Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action, and there were six male survivors. Following the engagement, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified U.S. Coast Guard to activate the Search and Rescue system for the survivors. No U.S. military forces were harmed.

On Sunday, June 21, the U.S. Coast Guard was notified by SOUTHCOM of a report of six individuals in distress in the Caribbean. Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) Venezuela assumed coordination of search and rescue operations. All search and rescue-related inquiries should be directed to RCC Venezuela.

Two men were killed Sunday in a new U.S. military strike against another suspected drug-running speedboat in the Caribbean, U.S. Southern Command reported, adding that it had asked the Coast Guard to activate search and rescue operations to find six survivors. “Two suspected drug traffickers were killed during this operation and six men survived,” the Command stated on the social media platform X, where it shared a video of the operation. [New U.S. strike against suspected drug-running speedboat in the eastern Pacific leaves three dead] The death toll from these operations has now reached 213 in 66 such operations since September 2, 2015, when the United States launched its offensive against these vessels, according to a count by Noticias Telemundo. The last attack in the Caribbean occurred on May 4. In mid-June, the United States confirmed that three more people died in an operation in the eastern Pacific. A still image from the attack on a suspected drug-running boat in the Caribbean, June 21, 2026. U.S. Southern Command. According to U.S. forces, the boats are operated “by terrorist organizations” and travel along “known drug trafficking routes,” although no evidence has been presented to support these claims. During the latest operation, described by Southern Command as a “lethal kinetic strike,” no U.S. military personnel were injured, according to authorities. It is unclear whether the survivors of this attack, or the two from the one carried out on June 16, were rescued. However, in both cases, U.S. Central Command said it notified the Coast Guard. The Trump administration’s campaign against suspected drug-running boats has come under scrutiny in Washington. In May, the Pentagon's Office of Inspector General opened an investigation to determine whether Southern Command followed target selection protocols during these operations, which have resulted in the majority of casualties in the eastern Pacific. On Thursday, U.S. lawmakers demanded that the Pentagon release the "unedited video" of the first such attack, following reports that the United States targeted survivors of the initial strike. With information from The Associated Press and EFE.

Dos hombres murieron el domingo en un nuevo ataque militar estadounidense contra otra presunta ‘narcolancha’ en el Caribe, informó el Comando Sur de Estados Unidos, añadiendo que pidió a la Guardia Costera activar labores de búsqueda y rescate para encontrar a seis sobrevivientes.“Dos hombres narcoterroristas murieron durante esta acción y seis hombres sobrevivieron”, indicó el Comando en la red social X, donde compartió un video del operativo.[Nuevo ataque de EE.UU. contra una supuesta ‘narcolancha’ en el Pacífico oriental deja tres muertos]Ya son 213 personas las que han fallecido en 66 operativos de este tipo desde el 2 de septiembre de 2025, cuando Estados Unidos desató su ofensiva contra estas embarcaciones, de acuerdo a un conteo de Noticias Telemundo.El último ataque en el Caribe ocurrió el pasado 4 de mayo. A mediados de junio, Estados Unidos aseguró que otras tres personas personas fallecieron en un operativo en el Pacífico oriental.Fotograma del ataque a presunta 'narcolancha' en el Caribe, 21 de junio 2026.Comando Sur de Estados UnidosSegún las fuerzas estadounidenses, las embarcaciones son operadas “por organizaciones terroristas” y transitan por “rutas conocidas de narcotráfico”, aunque no se han presentado pruebas que sostengan dichas afirmaciones.Durante la última operación, descrita por el Comando Sur como un “ataque cinético letal”, no hubo militares estadounidenses heridos, según las autoridades.No está claro si los sobrevivientes de este ataque, o los dos del que se llevó a cabo el 16 de junio, fueron rescatados. Sin embargo, en ambos casos, el Comando Central de Estados Unidos dijo que notificó a la Guardia Costera.La campaña del Gobierno de Donald Trump contra las presuntas ‘narcolanchas’ ha sido objeto de escrutinio en Washington. En mayo, la Oficina del Inspector General del Pentágono abrió una investigación para determinar si el Comando Sur siguió los protocolos de selección de objetivos durante estas operaciones, que han dejado la mayoría de las víctimas en aguas del Pacífico oriental.El jueves, legisladores estadounidenses exigieron que el Pentágono divulgara el “video sin editar” del primer ataque de este tipo, tras surgir informes de que Estados Unidos atacó a los sobrevivientes del impacto inicial.Con información de The Associated Press y EFE.

A strike on a suspected narco boat June 21, 2026, in the Caribbean Sea. US Southern Command image The U.S. struck a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean on Sunday, the first strike in the area since early May. The strike, conducted by the Joint Task Force Southern Spear, killed two men. Another six men survived the initial strike, with U.S. Coast Guard activating search and rescue operations. Rescue Coordination Center Venezuela took over the operations, according to an X post by Coast Guard Atlantic Area. U.S. Southern Command’s post on X did not indicate where in the Caribbean the strike occurred, but it likely was off the coast of Venezuela because the country is now handling search and rescue operations. With the two confirmed deaths, the total number of people killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats is at 210, although the number could be higher as many of the survivors of strikes are presumed dead. The Trump administration has said the suspected drug boats carrying illicit narcotic fentanyl and cocaine. It is not clear what effect the strikes are having on fatal overdoses in the United States. The majority of fentanyl comes into the country via Mexico, while supplies often come from China, USNI News previously reported. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data suggest the strikes have had little effect on fatal overdose levels in 2025. Data are not available for 2026. With the strike on Sunday, the U.S. has conducted 66 strikes since September 2025.

I condemn another two extrajudicial killings of civilians at sea by the US military, taking total murders to about 213 people since Sept 2025. I call on all perpetrators to be investigated and held accountable, and for reparation to be provided to the victims' families.