Another US boat strike in Caribbean Sea kills three, Pentagon says

The attack on alleged drug smugglers brings death toll of US military campaign against suspected drug boats to about 150.Published On 23 Feb 2026The United States military has announced another strike in the Caribbean Sea that it said targeted drug smugglers, killing three people.The Southern Command of the US military (SOUTHCOM) shared footage of the attack on Monday, showing a small boat exploding and going up in flames after the strike.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3US military says it attacked vessel in Pacific Ocean, killing three peoplelist 2 of 3Venezuela receives more than 1,500 amnesty requests under new lawlist 3 of 3Venezuela demands immediate release of Maduro from US custodyend of list“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement.“Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed.”The attack brings the death toll from US boat strikes on boats allegedly smuggling drugs, which began last year, to about 150.Rights advocates have said the US military campaign targeting alleged drug smugglers amounts to extrajudicial killings and risks violating international and domestic laws.The administration of US President Donald Trump has argued that all the targeted boats were carrying drugs, but it has offered little evidence other than grainy footage of the strikes.United Nations experts warned last year that the attacks “appear to be unlawful killings carried out by order of a Government, without judicial or legal process allowing due process of law”.“Unprovoked attacks and killings on international waters also violate international maritime laws,” the experts added.“We have condemned and raised concerns about these attacks at sea to the United States Government.”The strikes started in September last year, as the US was building up its military assets in the Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela. Since then, the attacks have expanded to also targeting boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean.