Eleven people were killed in U.S. strikes on three alleged drug-smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.
The strikes late Monday killed "four on the first vessel in the Eastern Pacific, four on the second vessel in the Eastern Pacific, and three on the third vessel in the Caribbean. No U.S. military forces were harmed," U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X.
The post included video of the strikes on the three boats, two of which were stationary when hit while the third was speeding across the water. People could be seen moving on two of the vessels prior to the strikes.
The U.S. began targeting alleged smuggling boats in early September, killing more than 140 people and destroying dozens of vessels since then.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration insists it is effectively at war with what it calls "narco-terrorists" operating in Latin America.
But it has provided no definitive evidence that the vessels it targets are involved in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations.
International law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the U.S.
Washington has deployed a huge naval force in the Caribbean, where its forces have in recent months struck alleged drug-smuggling boats, seized oil tankers and carried out a stunning raid to capture Venezuela's leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.
But the centerpiece of the flotilla, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, has been ordered to the Middle East along with several accompanying destroyers as Trump threatens U.S. military action against Iran if a nuclear deal is not reached.
