World · India Bureau
US military strike kills four in Caribbean anti-drug operation
The US military has killed four people in a strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea as part of an intensified campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America. The operation marks the latest in a series of maritime interventions that have claimed over 230 lives since the campaign began nearly a year ago.
LSN India ·
A boat strike conducted by the US military on Saturday in the Caribbean resulted in four deaths, according to US Southern Command. The military said it targeted the vessel along known drug smuggling routes in the region, though it did not provide evidence that the boat was carrying narcotics. Video footage posted on social media showed what appeared to be a moving vessel followed by a flash.
The incident brings the total death toll from US military boat strikes to at least 231 people across 69 operations since the Trump administration began its campaign against what it terms "narcoterrorists" nearly a year ago. US Southern Command has consistently justified strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea by citing the vessels' locations near established smuggling corridors.
The Trump administration is reportedly negotiating agreements with allied nations to expand military operations against drug trafficking networks onto land across multiple Latin American countries. Defence officials have signalled the administration's commitment to escalating enforcement measures in the region as part of its broader strategy to combat narcotics trafficking.