US Strikes Kill Three On Suspected Drug Boat In Eastern Pacific

The US military carried out a lethal strike on Friday (20 February 2026) against a vessel suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people and bringing the death toll from such operations to at least 148.

According to AP, the US Southern Command stated on social media that the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” A video associated with the post depicts the vessel afloat before it erupts in flames.

AP reported that this incident marks the latest in a series of at least 43 strikes conducted by the Trump administration since early September across the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. The attacks have resulted in at least 148 deaths overall.

President Donald Trump has described the US as being in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has defended the strikes as an essential escalation to disrupt drug flows into the country. However, the administration has provided limited evidence to substantiate claims that those killed were “narcoterrorists.”

Critics have raised concerns about the legality of the operations and their actual impact. Much of the fentanyl linked to overdoses in the US enters over land from Mexico, where it is manufactured using precursor chemicals sourced from China and India.

The strikes have faced particular scrutiny after reports emerged that the military carried out a follow-up attack on survivors of the initial boat incident. The Trump administration and several Republican lawmakers have maintained that the actions were lawful and required, while Democratic lawmakers and legal experts have described the killings of survivors as murder, and in some cases, a potential war crime.

(With input from AP)