The United States Southern Command announced Monday that the United States carried out “lethal” strikes on multiple vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations, killing at least eight narco-terrorists.

“On Dec. 15, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” the U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X. 

Intelligence reportedly detected suspicious activity along the Eastern Pacific, where the vessels were traveling known narco-trafficking routes.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a conference. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)

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“Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking,” the unit said. 

“A total of eight male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions—three in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third,” the unit added.