Washington, 5 December 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The US military has struck another alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, killing four people on board, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said on Thursday.

The vessel was reportedly operated "by a Designated Terrorist Organization" and carried narcotics along a known smuggling route.

"Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed," SOUTHCOM said on X.

US forces have carried out similar attacks on allegedly drug-laden boats in the Caribbean and Pacific over the past few months, often without publicly presenting evidence to justify the strikes.

Media reports indicate that nearly 90 people have been killed in such operations so far. The US administration has described the victims as drug traffickers and "terrorists."

The extrajudicial killings have drawn widespread criticism. United Nations human rights experts say the actions violate international law.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth recently said that additional strikes are planned. "We've only just begun striking narco-boats and putting narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean," he said during a recent Cabinet meeting.

Photo: MIA archive