Updated – February 18, 2026 07:38 am IST – Washington, DC
Before and after the US military rammed a ship. Photo: Screen Garb by X/@Southcom
The US military said on Tuesday (Feb 17, 2026) that it carried out raids on three boats accused of smuggling drugs in Latin American waters, killing 11 people in the deadliest days of the Trump administration’s months-long campaign.
The death toll rose to at least 145 in a series of strikes carried out on Monday (Feb 16, 2026), which began targeting so-called “narco-terrorists” on small vessels since early September.
Like most of the military’s announcements on the 42 known strikes, the US Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. It said that two ships carrying four people collided in the eastern Pacific Ocean and a third boat with three people in the Caribbean Sea.
The military has not provided evidence that the ships were transporting drugs but has posted videos showing the boats being destroyed.
US President Donald Trump said the US was in an “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and justified the raids as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs. But his administration has provided little evidence to support its claims of killing “narco-terrorists.”
Published – February 18, 2026 07:06 am IST
