U.S. Military Says 126 Killed in Strikes on Suspected Drug Boats

U.S. Southern Command said the death toll from strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats rose to 126, including 116 killed immediately and 10 presumed dead after remaining missing, according to military statements.

The strikes occurred in at least 36 attacks in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, a campaign the Trump administration framed as aimed at cartels and fentanyl flows.

President Donald Trump called the actions part of an "armed conflict" with cartels and defended the strikes as necessary, while critics questioned the legality and effectiveness, according to public statements and Congressional reactions.

The campaign included a reported follow-up strike that killed survivors from an earlier attack, drawing accusations of potential war crimes from Democratic lawmakers and legal experts and support from many Republican officials.

Defense and legal reviews are ongoing, and Congressional efforts to rein in the strikes have failed, leaving uncertainty about future operations and potential investigations into specific incidents.