US military strike on suspected drug-smuggling boat kills four in Caribbean Sea
The US military has carried out a strike on a boat suspected of being involved in drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its months-long campaign against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America.
The Saturday strike takes the number of people killed in US military boat strikes to at least 231 across 69 attacks since the Trump administration began targeting groups it describes as “narcoterrorists” nearly a year ago.
As in most of its statements on military strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said the latest operation targeted alleged drug traffickers operating along established smuggling routes.
However, the military did not provide evidence that the boat was carrying drugs. A video shared on X showed what appeared to be a moving vessel, followed by a flash.
The Trump administration is also seeking agreements with allied countries to expand its campaign against alleged criminal groups onto land in several Latin American nations.
During a visit to Panama last month, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow US forces to conduct joint military operations against criminal groups within their territories.
Guatemala denied that it had reached such an agreement, while Ecuador began similar operations with the US in March.
President Donald Trump has described the US as being in an “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and defended the strikes as necessary to intensify efforts to stop drugs from entering the United States and contributing to fatal overdoses.
However, the administration has provided limited evidence to substantiate its claims that the strikes have killed drug smugglers. (with inputs from Associated Press)
