Ship suspected of drug smuggling attacked by U.S. military [AFP Yonhap News]

Three people died when the U.S. military attacked a ship suspected of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

U.S. Southern Command released a video on X (formerly Twitter) on the 26th (local time) showing the suspected drug smuggling vessel rapidly moving at sea before being engulfed in flames, according to AP, AFP, and other news agencies.

The U.S. military has been conducting Operation Southern Spear, targeting suspected drug smuggling vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea since last September. This operation is being carried out under the pretext of blocking the inflow of drugs into the United States. At least 186 people have been killed in this military operation so far.

U.S. Southern Command stated that, as in previous announcements, they targeted and attacked a vessel suspected of drug smuggling that was moving along drug trafficking routes, but provided no evidence to support their claims.

U.S. President Donald Trump is justifying the operation as an armed conflict with drug cartels in Central and South America.

However, human rights groups and legal experts criticize the operation as a supra-legal act that bypasses due process, as no evidence has been presented.

They question the legality of military operations targeting civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.