Three people were killed in a US strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fifth such deadly attack in as many days, military officials have announced. US southern command said it conducted “a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” in the eastern Pacific, without naming the alleged group, in an X post. “Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action.” The latest strike brings the total toll to at least 177 killed, according to a tally compiled by the AFP news agency. On Monday [the US military said that it blew up two boats](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/13/drug-boat-strikes-latest-us-military) that it accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of five people and leaving one survivor. Then on Tuesday, the military said [it killed four more people](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/14/us-military-boat-strike-eastern-pacific) in the eastern Pacific Ocean. President Donald Trump’s administration insists it is effectively [at war with what it calls “narco-terrorists”](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/24/visual-guide-us-military-presence-caribbean) operating in Latin America. But it has provided no definitive evidence that the vessels it targets are involved in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations. International legal experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States. In January, lawyers [filed a federal lawsuit](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/27/trump-military-boat-strikes-lawsuit) against the US on behalf of the families of two men from a fishing village in Trinidad who were killed in an October strike on a small boat in the Caribbean, saying the “premeditated and intentional killings lack any plausible legal justification”. “The administration continues to push unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims about who these people were, despite investigations showing that some of those killed were fishermen just trying to make a living for their families,” the American Civil Liberties Union said in December. Last month, the Democratic representatives Joaquin Castro and Sara Jacobs wrote to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, raising alarms about the killings and noting the names and nationalities of most victims remain unknown. The boat strikes have continued in Latin America even as the US military has focused on operations in the Middle East, where the US [has been engaged in a war with Iran](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/15/trump-needs-a-better-iran-deal-than-obamas-but-faces-major-hurdles) for several weeks. _With Agence France-Presse_

The US military said on Sunday three men were killed when it struck a boat it claimed was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This latest strike – which follows dozens of similar attacks on alleged drug boats in recent months – brings the US campaign’s death toll to at least 185, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse. As with many previous attacks, the US military’s southern command said on [X](https://x.com/Southcom/status/2048573629009441148) that the boat hit was “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations” and that “intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes”. The military posted a video showing a boat moving swiftly in the water before a explosion left it in flames. The [Trump administration](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/trump-administration) has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking since September are involved in drug trafficking, prompting debate about the legality of the operations. Legal experts and rights groups suggest the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US. The attacks on boats began last year as the US built up its [largest military presence in the region](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/24/visual-guide-us-military-presence-caribbean) in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that seized then-Venezuelan president, [Nicolás Maduro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/nicolas-maduro). He was [brought to New York](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/26/nicolas-maduro-federal-court-narco-terrorism-case) to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty. Donald Trump has said the US is in [“armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/05/hegseth-latin-america-drug-cartels) and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US. No US military forces were injured in the operation, officials said in a statement on X. _With Agence-France Presse and Associated Press_