US military kills 4 in Caribbean boat strike

On Tuesday, the US military conducted a strike in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, according to US Southern Command. This marks the latest incident in a nearly year-long campaign by President Donald Trump's administration, which targets alleged drug traffickers in Latin America. Intelligence confirmed the vessel's involvement in narco-trafficking, leading Southern Command to claim the four killed were narco-terrorists.

The operation was conducted without releasing evidence of drug possession on the vessel. This strike brings the death toll from the campaign to at least 227 people across 68 strikes since it began a year ago. Rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, argue the strikes violate international law and constitute extrajudicial killings.

Trump maintains the US is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels and frames the strikes as necessary to combat the drug trade. However, the administration has not disclosed the evidence supporting these claims. The campaign is also expanding, with Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announcing joint US military operations against criminal groups in Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras, though Guatemala has disputed this. Ecuador initiated similar joint operations with the US in March.