US military kills four in latest strike on boat in the Caribbean

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Attack comes amid renewed scrutiny of Trump administration campaign against alleged drug smugglers.

The United States Military has conducted another deadly strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean, killing four, according to the Pentagon.

The attack on Thursday comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump has faced renewed scrutiny over the strikes after it was revealed that a targeted boat had been struck twice during a September 2 strike.

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Experts have said such an attack could constitute a war crime.

In a post on X, the US Southern Command said the latest strike was directed by Secretary of State Pete Hegseth.

The military “conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization,” it said.

“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific. Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed,” it said.

The Trump administration has killed over 80 alleged drug smugglers in the months-long campaign.

Even prior to revelations over the September 2 double-strike attack, rights groups have said the strikes likely constitute extrajudicial killings.

The latest strikes comes as the US continues to surge military assets near the coast of Venezuela, with Trump repeatedly threatening that land strikes could happen “very soon”.