Three dead in latest US strike on alleged drug boat: military

The US military said Friday it killed three alleged drug traffickers in a strike on a boat in the Caribbean, bringing the death toll in Washington's anti-narcotics campaign to at least 133. President Donald Trump's administration began targeting alleged smuggling boats in early September, insisting it is effectively at war with alleged "narco-terrorists" operating out of Venezuela. Dozens of strikes have been carried out since then.

Administration officials have provided no definitive evidence that the vessels are involved in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations that have expanded from the Caribbean to the Pacific. "Three narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed," US Southern Command said in a statement on X.

The new strike comes nearly six weeks after the capture by US special forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who had said the American campaign of strikes was aimed at pushing regime change in the South American country. The leftist leader is now incarcerated in the United States, where he has pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges.