U.S. conducts two more strikes on alleged drug boats in eastern Pacific, killing five

The U.S. military said Thursday it conducted two additional strikes against boats it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing five people. U.S. Southern Command posted on social media that intelligence indicated the vessels were transiting known narco-trafficking routes in the region and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations, though it did not provide supporting evidence. The military released videos showing each boat speeding across the water before an explosion destroyed the vessel. The Pentagon identified three people killed on one boat and two on the other.

With Thursday's strikes, the campaign has produced at least 28 known boat strikes since it began earlier in the year, according to the numbers cited by the Trump administration. The tally indicates at least 104 people have been killed in the strikes and subsequent aftermath. Administration officials have said the campaign is a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, and they have described the effort as part of an armed confrontation with drug cartels. The operation has drawn increasing scrutiny from lawmakers, who have pressed for more information on legal authorities, oversight, and the evidence behind each strike. The earliest operation in early September involved a follow up strike that killed two survivors clinging to wreckage after the initial hit.

Beyond the toll, the campaign has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers over transparency and oversight. Officials have released limited public detail about the intelligence or legal authorities behind individual strikes, and critics have called for greater accountability while stressing civilian risk in regional waters. No definitive timetable for future strikes has been disclosed, and the administration has provided few new public updates on the ongoing operation.