US Military strike on alleged drug boat in Caribbean kills three

The US military said it carried out a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, killing three people, as part of the Trump administration’s expanded campaign against what it describes as "narcoterrorists".

In a statement, US Southern Command said the vessel was intercepted along what it called a known drug-trafficking route in the Caribbean. The military did not present evidence that the boat was carrying narcotics but released video footage on X showing a small speedboat with outboard engines being destroyed in the strike.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” Southern Command stated in a post on X, adding that “Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.””

The latest incident brings the reported death toll from such operations to at least 151 people since early September, when the administration began targeting small vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the region. According to official statements, more than 40 strikes have been carried out so far.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels operating in Latin America, framing the military action as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of illicit drugs into the country. However, the administration has released limited public evidence to substantiate claims that those killed in the strikes were involved in organised drug trafficking.

Critics, including some lawmakers and legal experts, have raised concerns about the legality and effectiveness of the campaign. They argue that the majority of fentanyl linked to fatal overdoses in the US is typically trafficked over land from Mexico, where it is manufactured using precursor chemicals imported largely from China and India, rather than transported by sea through the Caribbean.

The operations have also drawn scrutiny following reports that survivors of the first known boat strike were killed in a subsequent follow-up attack. While the Trump administration and several Republican lawmakers have defended the actions as lawful and necessary under the administration’s interpretation of self-defence and counter-narcotics authority, Democratic lawmakers and human rights advocates have described the killings as unlawful, with some suggesting they could amount to war crimes.

The debate continues over the scope and consequences of the US military’s role in counter-drug operations beyond its borders.