Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations in international waters on December 30 at the direction of SecWar Pete Hegseth, killing three narco-terrorists aboard the first vessel, according to a USSOUTHCOM statement posted between 9:15 PM and 9:46 PM UTC on December 31. Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between them prior to the strikes, the statement said. Remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels by jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank the vessels. Following the engagements, USSOUTHCOM immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate search and rescue operations, as stated in the post tagged #OpSouthernSpear.
