US military kills four in Caribbean Sea strike on suspected drug-smuggling vessel

On October 4, 2026, the US military struck a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people. The US Southern Command said the strike targeted a high-speed boat involved in drug trafficking. This operation is part of a campaign that has killed over 230 people since September 2025. Human rights organizations and UN experts have criticized the strikes as unlawful extrajudicial killings, while the US government defends them as necessary counter-narcotics measures. The identities of the victims have not been released.