March 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Southern Command said it killed four men in a strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean on Wednesday, the latest attack by the Trump administration in its aggressive crackdown on narcotics trafficking.
The Trump administration has killed at least 163 people and destroyed at least 47 vessels it accuses of trafficking drugs in international waters since Sept. 2, according to a Pentagon posture statement and subsequent SOUTHCOM releases. Wednesday's strike was the third publicly reported since the U.S. military began its war with Iran.
The strikes have drawn criticism from Democrats and human rights organizations, which argue the Trump administration is violating international law by using the military for what critics say is essentially a law enforcement mission and by killing suspects who have not been charged with or convicted of any crime.
President Donald Trump argues that the United States is in "armed conflict" with drug cartels, at least 10 of which he has designated as terrorist organizations.
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