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US military strikes alleged drug boat in Caribbean, killing three

The US military conducted a strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, February 23, 2026, killing three people, according to Pentagon statements. The attack is part of the Trump administration's ongoing campaign against suspected drug traffickers, which the administration describes as "narcoterrorists." The strike brings the death toll from the campaign to approximately 150 people since operations began in September 2025. It marks the third such attack in a week as US military presence in the Caribbean has intensified. The administration has designated groups including the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua and Colombian guerrilla groups as targets, though it has provided limited public evidence to support claims about the vessels' operations or the identities of those killed.

  • The first strike in the campaign killed 11 people aboard a Venezuelan vessel on September 1-2, 2025, with the Dominican Navy later recovering 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from the wreckage.
  • Tren de Aragua, one of the groups targeted, is a Venezuelan criminal organization that has expanded operations across Latin America in recent years.
  • The US and Dominican Republic announced their first joint operation against what they called "narco-terrorism" in the Caribbean following the initial strike.
US military strikes alleged drug boat in Caribbean, killing three | Implica