US Military’s 20th Strike on Alleged Drug-Running Boat Kills 4 in the Caribbean

AT SEA- NOVEMBER 13: In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, Eight F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213 from embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), and a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress operate as a joint force, November 13, 2025. U.S. military forces, like the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, are deployed in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the President’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (Photo by Triniti Lersch/US Navy via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says its 20th strike on a boat accused of transporting drugs has killed four people in the Caribbean Sea. The latest attack happened Monday, the same day Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced two strikes had been carried out the day before. The U.S. Southern Command announced Monday’s boat strike in a social media post on Friday. The Trump administration has insisted that American warships are focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S. But the impending arrival of an aircraft carrier has fueled speculation that the U.S. also wants to pressure Venezuelan President NicolౠMaduro to step down.