11 dead after US forces strike alleged drug boats in the Pacific and Caribbean

Strikes have been launched by US forces on three alleged drug smuggling boats in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean, killing 11 people.

US Southern Command posted a video on X of Monday's operation, along with a statement that "intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations".

The strikes are the latest in a series of controversial military operations which have brought the number of so-called "narcoterrorists" killed to at least 145 people since early September 2025.

Like most of the military's statements on the 42 known strikes, US Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.

It alleged the three boats were "operated by designated terrorist organisations".

Two vessels carrying four people each were struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean, while a third boat with three people was hit in the Caribbean Sea.

The military posted videos showing the boats being destroyed.

Donald Trump said the US is in "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs.

In a post on X, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth praised the strikes: "Turns out President's Day - under President Trump - is not a good day to run drugs."

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The military has not provided evidence that the boats or people killed on Monday were involved in drug trafficking.

In January, the US launched a direct military attack on Venezuela, extraditing Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, transporting them both to New York to face narcoterrorism and other charges, which both deny.

(c) Sky News 2026: 11 dead after US forces strike alleged drug boats in the Pacific and Caribbean