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

Attack comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Trump administration’s campaign against alleged drug smugglers.Published On 5 Dec 2025The 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 attack.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Last foreign carriers halt flights to Venezuela after Trump’s airspace banlist 2 of 3Meet the US’s drug running friends: A history of narcotics involvementlist 3 of 3Amid Trump threats, what has the US’s ‘war on drugs’ achieved in 50 years?end of listExperts 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 Defense 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 more than 80 alleged drug smugglers in the months-long campaign.But revelations over the September 2 strike have prompted renewed scrutiny and investigations from bipartisan committees in Congress.The White House has denied that Hegseth ordered the second strike on the vessel following an initial strike. Instead, they said the second strike that appeared to kill two survivors of the first attack was ordered by Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley.The White House has said the second strike was still in compliance with the laws of armed conflict. Legal experts have said it is a war crime to target unarmed combatants. The military’s own manual says it is illegal to fire on shipwrecks.