U.S. strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in Pacific Ocean, in fourth attack this week

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in Pacific Ocean, in fourth attack this week May 31, 202611:14 AM ET By The Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Washington, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, looks on. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP WASHINGTON — The U. military said it carried out another strike Saturday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men in the fourth attack this week and putting the total death toll at 205.

Southern Command announced the strike with its usual language that the vessel was "engaged in narco-trafficking operations" and operated by a designated terrorist organization. It provided no evidence for the allegation. It's the latest in a monthslong campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific.

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Video released by the military on social media shows a small vessel floating in the ocean before it's hit and engulfed in a fireball. Sponsor Message The attack brings the death toll to 205 in a series of U. strikes that began in early September, with other attacks announced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

The Trump administration has declared that the U. is at armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, saying they are behind the flow of drugs into American communities. Southern Command said in its post on X that the strike came at the direction of Gen.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.