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Press Release | June 16, 2026

Lethal Kinetic Strike, June 16, 2026

On June 16, 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 Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.

One male narco-terrorists was killed during this action, and there were two 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.