WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A United States (US) strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea killed three people on Monday, the US military said.

The United States began targeting alleged smuggling boats in early September, and the latest strike brings the death toll from the campaign to at least 150.

US Southern Command, which is responsible for Washington’s forces in the region, said the boat was “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations”.

Southern Command’s post on X included a video of a stationary boat being destroyed in an explosion.

President Donald Trump’s administration insists it is effectively at war with what it calls “narco-terrorists” operating in Latin America.

But it has provided no definitive evidence that the vessels it targets are involved in drug trafficking, prompting heated debate about the legality of the operations.

International law experts and rights groups say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings as they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.

Washington has deployed a large naval force in the Caribbean, where its forces have in recent months struck alleged drug-smuggling boats, seized oil tankers and carried out a stunning raid on the Venezuelan capital to capture leftist leader Nicolas Maduro.