U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has announced the launch of a new military operation named “Southern Spear,” aimed at “eliminating drug trafficking terrorists” in the western hemisphere.
Hegseth wrote on the platform X: “I am announcing today the launch of Operation Southern Spear (…) This mission aims to defend our homeland, eliminate terrorist drug traffickers in the western hemisphere, and protect our country from the drugs that kill our citizens.”
He added that “the western hemisphere is America’s neighborhood, and we will protect it,” without providing further details about the nature of the operation or how it differs from ongoing military operations.
This announcement coincides with the U.S. military executing its twentieth strike on Monday, targeting a boat suspected of drug smuggling, resulting in the death of four “drug trafficking terrorists” in the Caribbean, according to U.S. media reports.
Since the initiation of this intensified campaign against drug trafficking last September, U.S. forces have reportedly eliminated at least 80 individuals presented as involved in these illegal activities.
These operations have primarily taken place in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, as part of a strategy aimed at curbing the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
Additionally, Hegseth announced earlier in October the establishment of a joint task force by the Pentagon specialized in combating drug cartels in the Caribbean, within the area under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy Southern Command.
According to U.S. authorities, these new measures represent a commitment to intensify military responses against networks involved in drug smuggling off the U.S. coast.
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