US strike on alleged drug boat kills four in Caribbean

A US military strike on an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean killed four people on August 25, officials said.

US Southern Command said on X that the vessel was operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean. It said “confirmed intelligence” showed the vessel was actively involved in drug trafficking.

Black-and-white video footage posted with the statement showed a boat moving through the water moments before a large explosion.

The strike was part of Washington's campaign against drug cartels operating out of Latin America. President Donald Trump has argued that the United States is effectively at war with the cartels.

More than 200 people have been killed in US strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean during the campaign, according to an AFP tally. Trump's administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has struck were involved in drug trafficking. Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings.