WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out another strike on an alleged drug boat in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three people, according to a Sunday post to X from the U.S. Southern Command.
The latest strike is at least the 21st that the military has conducted on alleged drug boats during the second Trump administration, prompting concerns from some lawmakers.
The U.S. Southern Command’s post said the strike was at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The post alleged that the boat was “operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization” and was “trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific,” adding that the strike took place in international waters.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” the post said.
NBC News has not independently confirmed the military’s account of the strike. The administration has not provided evidence supporting its allegations about the vessel or the people on board.
Video released by U.S. Southern Command appears to show the strike causing a large wave to spike up next to the boat, which is then engulfed in flames.
The announcement came days after NBC News previously reported that the Trump administration carried out its 20th such attack, according to a Pentagon official. That strike took place in the Caribbean Sea. Previous attacks took place in both the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, and they have killed more than 75 people, according to officials.
Sunday’s announcement came the same day the USS Gerald R. Ford, a major aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean.
The strikes have generated controversy in Congress, as Democrats and some Republicans paint the administration’s moves as heavy-handed overreach that circumvents lawmakers.
But in October, the Senate rejected a resolution requiring Trump to obtain congressional approval for military strikes in the Caribbean. Earlier this month, the Senate voted down a similar resolution that would require the president obtain congressional approval for any military action against Venezuela.
Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky sided with Democrats to push for a congressional authorization requirement.
Paul previously said in an October interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the strikes “go against all of our tradition.” He raised concerns over people being killed without the administration providing evidence of a crime, noting the possibility that some of those killed could be innocent.
Mosheh Gains, Courtney Kube and Frank Thorp V contributed.
