The United States military carried out another strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, killing three people and intensifying a campaign that has drawn mounting criticism at home and abroad.
The strike, announced by U.S. Southern Command, adds to more than 40 similar operations conducted in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, with total fatalities now estimated at around 150.
The targeted vessel was “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” U.S. Southern Command said in a statement, adding that no U.S. forces were harmed.
Footage released by the military showed a small boat exploding and catching fire after the strike.
The Pentagon did not provide public evidence that the boat or those on board were carrying drugs.
Monday’s attack came three days after a separate strike in the eastern Pacific that also killed three people, underscoring the geographic expansion of the campaign.
The operations began last year as the United States increased its military presence in the Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela and have continued following the U.S. capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3.
Gen. Francis L. Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, directed the latest strike.
He visited Caracas last week, meeting U.S. personnel and, according to Venezuelan state television, senior officials including acting President Delcy Rodríguez.
The campaign has faced criticism from members of Congress, primarily Democrats, as well as advocacy groups and United Nations experts.
U.N. experts warned last year that the attacks “appear to be unlawful killings carried out by order of a Government, without judicial or legal process allowing due process of law”.
They added that “Unprovoked attacks and killings on international waters also violate international maritime laws,” and said concerns had been raised with the U.S. government.
President Donald Trump has defended the strikes, arguing they prevent illicit drugs from entering the United States and save lives from overdose deaths.
The administration has maintained that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking, though it has offered limited public evidence.