The US military said it carried out another strike on a boat suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people on Sunday.

The attack is part of an ongoing campaign by the administration of Donald Trump targeting alleged drug-smuggling vessels in Latin American waters since early September. The operations have so far killed at least 181 people, with similar strikes also reported in the eastern Pacific Ocean. ([euronews][1])

Despite the ongoing conflict with Iran, the pace of these strikes has increased again in recent days, indicating that Washington’s efforts against what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the region are continuing. However, the US military has not provided evidence confirming that the targeted boats were carrying drugs.

The campaign began as the United States expanded its military presence in the region. It also followed a January operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, who was taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty.

In Sunday’s strike, US Southern Command said it targeted suspected traffickers moving along known smuggling routes and shared a video showing the boat being destroyed in a large explosion.

President Trump has described the situation as an “armed conflict” with drug cartels in Latin America and defended the strikes as necessary to curb drug flows and overdose deaths in the United States.

Critics, however, have raised concerns about the legality of the operations and questioned the lack of clear evidence supporting the claims that those targeted were involved in drug trafficking.