U.S. military strikes vessel in Caribbean Sea, killing four
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military attacked a boat suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America, reports BritPanorama.
The latest attack brings the number of people killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 227 in 68 strikes since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” almost a year ago. U.S. Southern Command stated that it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.
However, the military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed an image of what appeared to be a moving boat followed by a flash.
Tuesday’s strike came just two days after a separate strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed two people accused of trafficking drugs. This action followed a pause of more than two months in the U.S. campaign against alleged smugglers.
The Trump administration is pursuing deals with allied nations to extend its offensive to land across multiple Latin American countries. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during a visit to Panama this month, stated that Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil, although Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement. Ecuador began similar missions with the U.S. in March.
President Donald Trump has described the U.S. as being in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America, justifying the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and prevent fatal overdoses. However, his administration has provided limited evidence to substantiate its claims of killing smugglers.
