Strike on alleged drug vessel kills four in the Caribbean, US military says

US Southern Command conducted a lethal strike on a vessel in the Caribbean on Wednesday, killing four people aboard what it described as a boat operated by designated terrorist organizations. The operation is part of a broader campaign by US military forces to disrupt drug trafficking networks in the region, with Southern Command framing the effort as applying "total systemic friction on the cartels." The strike represents the latest in a series of military actions targeting suspected narcotics smuggling vessels operating in Caribbean waters. US Southern Command oversees all American combatant operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.