Eight dead in US strikes on alleged drug boats: US militaryListen to this articleThis screen grab from a video posted on the X account of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) shows a strike on one of three boats alleged to be trafficking drugs on Tuesday. (Image via AFP)WASHINGTON — The US military said Wednesday that eight people were killed in multiple new strikes on alleged drug boats, bringing the death toll in Washington's campaign against what it says are narcotics traffickers to at least 115. On Tuesday, "three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy" were targeted in "international waters," it said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. Hours later, it issued a second statement about strikes on two more vessels conducted on Wednesday, killing five people. Since September, the US military has carried out more than 30 such strikes on what it says are boats used to smuggle drugs to the United States, without providing any concrete evidence that the targeted boats are involved in trafficking.

Source: Bangkok Post January 01, 2026 04:03 UTC