The US military launched a strike on an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people on board, according to officials.
US Southern Command (Southcom) said in a post on X on Wednesday that the vessel "was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations."
"Four male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed," Southern Command added.
The United States began targeting alleged smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean in early September, and the latest attack brings the death toll to at least 163.
US President Donald Trump's administration insists the country is effectively at war with what he calls "narco-terrorists" operating in Latin America.
But the Trump administration has provided little evidence that the vessels targeted are actually involved in drug trafficking.
Critics have questioned the overall legality of the boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, saying they amount to extrajudicial killings.
The boat strikes have continued in Latin America even as the US military has focused on operations in the Middle East, where American warships and planes have been pounding Iran with strikes, and additional Marines plus soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division are either preparing to deploy or on their way to the region.
