US military kills three in another strike on Caribbean vessel

At least three men were killed on board the ship when the United States struck it once more in the Caribbean, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth claimed that the attack was carried out at the president’s request and that a vessel “was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling” was the target of the attack in a post on X late on Saturday.

He claimed that during the international-scale strike, there were “three male narco-terrorists” aboard the ship.

He continued, “All three were killed.”

Following another attack on Wednesday that left four people dead and a string of bombings that left 14 others dead on Monday, the attack on Saturday came to an end.

More than 62 people have died as a result of the operation, which started in early September, along with 14 boats and a semi-submersible.

The Trump administration has stated that the attacks are aimed at alleged drug trafficking, but it has not yet provided any proof to the public to back up its claims.

Critics have labeled the strikes an extrajudicial killing and a violation of international law, which largely forbids nations from using lethal military force against noncombatants outside of conflict zones.

In a statement released on Friday, the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk referred to the attacks as “unacceptable” and “and their mounting human cost.”

Whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them, Turk urged the US to stop these attacks and take all necessary steps to stop extrajudicial killings of those aboard these ships.

The attacks take place in the wake of the US’s growing military presence in the Caribbean, which includes nuclear submarines, F-35 fighter jets, guided-missile destroyers, and thousands of soldiers.

The Ford carrier strike group has been given a task order by the Trump administration for the area, and it is scheduled to make its way to the Caribbean in the coming weeks.

Venezuela and Colombia have been in conflict as a result of the US campaign, with the country’s government denouncing the strikes as being against the country and illegal.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also accused Trump of attempting to change the country, an allegation that the US president has downplayed. He has strengthened his security measures and deployed tens of thousands of troops there.

Washington accused Maduro of having connections to organized crime and drug trafficking in August by offering a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest.