The US military says it has struck a boat “engaged in narco-trafficking operations”, killing three men.

The vessel “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations”, the US Southern Command said on X.

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The military has not provided evidence that the boat or the men on board were involved in drug trafficking.

Footage of the strike on Friday shows the small boat floating in the Pacific before an explosion, causing it to burst into flames.

Image:
Flames are seen billowing into the sky after the strike. Pic: US Southern Command

President Donald Trump previously said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America.

US strikes on alleged drug boats have killed at least 148 people in at least 43 attacks in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, including 11 people earlier this week.

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Mr Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs.

But critics have questioned the legality and effectiveness of the strikes, as the fentanyl behind many fatal overdoses is smuggled into the US via land from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.

In January, the US launched a direct military attack on Venezuela, extraditing Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, transporting them both to New York to face narcoterrorism and other charges, which both deny.