August 26, 2026 / 4:44 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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Washington — The U.S. military attacked a boat suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its 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 227 in 68 strikes since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" almost a year ago. As with most of the military's statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military didn't provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs, but said on X that "confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking." A video in that same post on X showed an image of what appeared to be a moving boat followed by a flash.
"Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere continues executing precise, lethal operations against the cartels. We will hunt, disrupt, and defeat these narco-terrorist networks. SOUTHCOM is resolved to neutralizing cartel terror and violence throughout the region and into the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/Kj4k9onYxx— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) August 26, 2026
