The U.S. struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific on Sunday, killing six people, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said.

The U.S. military said the vessel was operated “by Designated Terrorist Organizations” and six “narco-terrorists” were killed.

“On March 8, at the direction of SOUTHCOM commander 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. Six male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.

The U.S. has conducted 45 strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific since September 2025, killing more than 157 people.

The latest such strike, on Feb. 23, killed three people, according to NBC News.

NBC News reported that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has argued that the strikes are in the country’s national security interest, preventing illicit drugs from entering the U.S. But they have drawn criticism from lawmakers and advocacy groups, who have scrutinized the legal justification for them.