US says eight killed in new strikes on suspected drug boats

The US military said it carried out three further strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in international waters in the eastern Pacific on Monday, killing eight men in total.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said on social media platform X that the boats were transporting narcotics along known smuggling routes. The information could not be independently verified.

According to SOUTHCOM, three men were killed in the first strike, two in the second and three in the third. The military released short aerial video footage that it said showed the attacks, with each boat appearing to be hit by a missile.

Since September, US forces have repeatedly targeted vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that they say are carrying drugs, citing intelligence assessments. The military has not publicly provided evidence to substantiate the claims.

US media counts suggest more than 90 people have been killed in the operations so far. The US administration has described those killed as drug traffickers and "terrorists," but the strikes have drawn sharp criticism.

UN human rights experts have said the operations may violate international law, describing the killings as unlawful extrajudicial killings.