At around 11 am local time, a firefight between a Cuban Border Guard vessel and the occupants of a Florida-registered speedboat took place off Cuba’s north-central coast near the barrier island of Cayo Falcones in Villa Clara province. Cuban officials said the U.S.-flagged speedboat, identified by registration number FL7726SH, approached within about one nautical mile of the El Pino channel without authorization, prompting the Cuban patrol, with five crew members aboard, to attempt identification. Cuban authorities alleged that those aboard the speedboat opened fire first, wounding the commander of the Cuban patrol vessel, after which the border guards returned fire. In the ensuing exchange of gunfire, four people on the speedboat were killed and six others were wounded and evacuated from the scene to a local hospital. The Cuban patrol commander was also reported wounded. Cuba’s Interior Ministry said it was investigating the circumstances and sought to reaffirm its determination to protect its territorial waters and national sovereignty. U.S. officials did not immediately provide public comment on the incident, and Florida political figures called for independent investigations to determine whether any of the victims were U.S. citizens or legal residents, underscoring heightened tensions between Havana and Washington.

At about 8:00 a.m. local time, Mexican security forces closed in on Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) leader Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, during an operation in Tapalpa, Jalisco. He was gravely wounded in the clash and died during an air transfer to Mexico City. His death  triggered near immediate, coordinated retaliation by cartel cells across multiple states.

Within hours, CJNG gunmen erected roadblocks on major highways, set vehicles and businesses on fire, and launched attacks across Jalisco, Colima, Michoacán, Nayarit, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas and other states. Clashes were reported around major hotspots included the Guadalajara metropolitan area, including Zapopan, and the tourist corridor around Puerto Vallarta near transport hubs.

In Guanajuato state, early attacks and arson were reported in León, Silao, Purísima, San Francisco del Rincón and Guanajuato City, including damage to convenience stores in León’s Las Joyas area and in neighborhoods such as Delta 2000 and Los Naranjos. Puebla also reported arson, including an incident at a Banco del Bienestar site in Santa María Xonacatepec and fires at Oxxo stores in Puebla city.

Authorities in multiple states announced precautionary school and education centers closures in response to the violence and roadblocks. In person classes were suspended in Jalisco, Estado de México, Nayarit, Baja California, Colima, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Hidalgo, Puebla, Querétaro and parts of Oaxaca, including the Istmo region, citing security concerns and mobility disruptions.

Numerous roadblock points were reported around Guadalajara, Jalisco  state capital,  as well as fires and security disruptions extending to ports and bus terminals. Disruptions were reported in Manzanillo, and preventive transport suspensions affected routes from Toluca and Ciudad Guzmán. Airlines and aviation authorities reported fast moving operational impacts at airports serving Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, with Air Canada and United halting flights to Puerto Vallarta, additional cancellations by American Airlines, and operational warnings and cancellations from Volaris and Aeromexico tied to the unrest.

Mexico Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirmed that 25 National Guard members were killed in six retaliatory attacks in Jalisco, along with a prison guard, a state prosecutor’s agent and an unidentified woman, bringing confirmed non cartel deaths to 28. Security officials stated that around 30 suspected criminals were killed in Jalisco and four in Michoacán. In Tapalpa, four individuals were killed at the scene of the initial military operation and three wounded, including Oseguera, later died. Authorities in Jalisco, Michoacán and Guanajuato also reported at least 14 additional deaths, including seven National Guard members. Combined fatalities linked to the violence exceed 70, pending final official confirmation.

Financial losses have not yet been consolidated into a single official figure but are described as severe, with widespread arson, commercial closures, airport disruption, transport paralysis and logistics interruptions producing substantial multi sector impact.

The security environment for foreigners, particularly Americans, deteriorated sharply. Mexican and U.S. officials acknowledged U.S. intelligence support to the operation, including assistance from a U.S. military led counter cartel task force, a factor analysts warned could heighten risks to U.S. linked targets during retaliatory flare ups. The U.S. State Department issued shelter in place messaging for Americans in affected areas including Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero and Nuevo León, while Canada advised its citizens in Puerto Vallarta to shelter in place and maintain a low profile.

The scale and geographic breadth of the CJNG retaliation undermines Mexico’s international standing and is likely to intensify global concern, particularly as Guadalajara, one of the designated host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, served as the epicenter of the violence. The incident will remain prominent in travelers’ risk calculations and may prompt scrutiny of the city’s preparedness as a tournament host.

Police in Lahore registered a kidnapping case after Canadian national pursuing doctoral research was reported missing in the city. The case was filed at a police station in the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) on the complaint of Yousif Rasheed, a friend of the missing man, identified as Hamza Ahmad. According to the First Information Report (FIR), Ahmad had arrived in Pakistan on 13 February to work on his PhD thesis and was staying with his friend in DHA Phase 10. Rasheed stated that Ahmad booked a cab and left the house between 1 am and 2 am but did not return, and efforts by his friends to locate him were unsuccessful. Police suspect that unknown individuals may have kidnapped Ahmad and have launched an investigation to recover him, though the motive and circumstances of his disappearance remain unclear. Political activists and social media users described Ahmad as a scholar of anti-imperialist politics, suggesting that his academic research may have been connected to his disappearance. (dawn.com, 21 February 2026)

A suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle ignored signals from troops to stop and rammed into the wall of a security post in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. The powerful explosion caused part of the compound to collapse, killing 11 soldiers and a young girl, and wounding seven civilians, including women and children. Following the blast, gunmen attempted to storm the post, leading to a firefight in which security forces killed 12 militants. No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban or TTP), which has been behind a surge in militant attacks in the region. Authorities continued security operations following the attack. The TTP has carried out similar attacks in the province and has been emboldened since the return of the Afghan Taliban to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.

A large group of gunmen riding more than 200 motorcycles launched a predawn raid on three villages in the Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State near the border with the Republic of Benin. At least 30 villagers were killed in the attacks, and houses and shops were set on fire. The attackers struck the village of Tunga-Makeri first, where local police and survivors said at least six people were killed, buildings were set ablaze, and an unknown number of villagers were kidnapped. At around 6 am local time, the assailants moved on to Konkoso and Pissa, with a resident of Konkoso reporting that around 26 villagers were killed there after the village’s police station was burned. Survivors described chaotic scenes of gunfire, widespread arson, and beheadings as many villagers fled into the surrounding bushland. Fear of further attacks has left many too afraid to return home. The attacks are part of a broader surge in insecurity in northern Nigeria involving armed gangs known locally as “bandits,” who have carried out deadly assaults, kidnappings for ransom, and the displacement of rural communities. Government efforts to restore stability continue amid mounting pressure from both domestic critics and international partners.