WASHINGTON: US military officials said a man died in a lethal kinetic strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday (Jun 16) as Washington continues its campaign against alleged drug traffickers.

The strike was part of military operation “Southern Spear”, launched last September as President Donald Trump insists the United States is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X.

Two men were also reported to have survived the strike, and the US Coast Guard launched search and rescue operations to find the survivors, according to SOUTHCOM.

More than 200 people have been killed as part of “Southern Spear” strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, according to a tally by AFP.

Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.