skip to contentAdvertisementBy: Express Web Desk November 17, 2025 04:54 AM IST First published on: Nov 17, 2025 at 04:54 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookThe strike comes a day after Defence Department officials said that the military carried out the 20th strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat last week. (Photo: X/ @Southcom)The United States military carried out a 21st strike against a suspected drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Saturday, killing at least three people, the US Southern Command announced on Sunday, Reuters reported.In a post on social media, US Southern Command announced, “Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.” The announcement added that “three male narco-terrorists” aboard the vessel were killed and that the vessel was in international waters when it was struck by Joint Task Force Southern Spear.The US military has started conducting strikes against alleged drug carrying boats since September onwards and the latest operation was its 21st known strike against the suspected vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean waters. President Donald Trump led administration has justified the attacks as an effort to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the United States.On Nov. 15, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,… pic.twitter.com/iM1PhIsroj— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 16, 2025However, lawmakers in the US Congress, human rights groups and American allies, including the UK, France have raised questions about the legality of strikes against suspected drug boats. The Trump administration has defended the strikes and said it has the legal authority to conduct the attacks from drug vessels entering into US territory.The US Justice Department has reportedly provided a legal opinion which justifies the strikes and states that US military personnel who are involved in the operations, remain immune from prosecution, Reuters reported. The latest strike brings the total number of people killed in the US military’s action to 83.The strike comes a day after Defence Department officials said that the military carried out the 20th strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat last week. A CNN report earlier stated that the US military is using a variety of weapons, including drones, fighter jets and gunships to carry out the strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific.(with inputs from Reuters)AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...