US military says four killed in Caribbean boat strike

The US military said it carried out a strike on a boat suspected of being involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, killing four people.

The operation is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing military campaign against groups it accuses of trafficking drugs and operating as “narcoterrorists” in Latin America.

US Southern Command said the targeted vessel was travelling along a known smuggling route. However, the military did not release evidence showing that the boat was carrying drugs at the time of the strike.

A video shared by the military on social media appeared to show a moving boat followed by a flash, but further details about the operation were not immediately provided.

The latest incident brings the reported death toll from US military boat strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean to at least 231 people across 69 strikes since the campaign began nearly a year ago.

The strikes have become a central part of the administration’s efforts to disrupt suspected drug trafficking networks operating in the region. US officials have argued that tougher military action is necessary to prevent illegal drugs from reaching the United States and contributing to fatal overdoses.

President Donald Trump has described the United States as being in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels in Latin America and has defended the strikes as an escalation aimed at stopping the flow of narcotics.

The administration is also seeking greater cooperation from Latin American countries to expand operations against criminal groups on land.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama last month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow joint US military operations against criminal organisations on their territory. Guatemala, however, disputed that claim. Ecuador has already conducted joint missions with the United States since March.

The growing US military campaign has raised questions over the evidence supporting individual strikes and the legal basis for using military force against suspected drug traffickers.

In the latest Caribbean operation, authorities have not publicly provided evidence identifying the four people killed or confirming that the vessel was transporting narcotics.

The US government has maintained that its operations are focused on disrupting major trafficking networks, while critics have questioned the lack of publicly available evidence following several of the strikes.