Updated on: June 18, 2026 / 9:39 PM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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The U.S. military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in early September.As with most of the military's statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post the boat was "transiting along known narco-trafficking routes." The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. The military said the boat was operated by "Designated Terrrorist Organizations." It did not name the specific organization, but the Trump administration has designated several Latin American gangs and drug cartels as terror groups.A video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water before being struck and bursting into flames.
On June 18, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known… pic.twitter.com/22B31fjZUK— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) June 18, 2026
