US military says Caribbean strike kills four as toll tops 235

The U.S. military said it killed four people in a strike on a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. The toll is now at least 235 killed in 70 strikes since the campaign against those the administration calls narcoterrorists began in September 2025. U.S. Southern Command said on X it executed a lethal, kinetic strike on a go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean, and that confirmed intelligence indicated the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. A video posted on X showed the vessel explode. The military did not provide evidence the vessel was carrying drugs. President Donald Trump has described the U.S. as in armed conflict with cartels in Latin America. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during an August visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to joint military operations on their soil; Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement. Ecuador launched similar joint missions with the U.S. in March. UN special rapporteur Ben Saul said there are reasonable grounds to believe the strikes may constitute crimes against humanity. The American Civil Liberties Union called the government's claims unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims. Public evidence on cargo and on any drop in Caribbean smuggling remains unverified.