Four Killed in Latest US Military Drug Strike, Congress Demands Transparency

US Military

Four Killed in Latest US Military Drug Strike, Congress Demands Transparency

The US military has confirmed the killing of four suspected drug traffickers in a fresh lethal strike in the eastern Pacific Ocean, raising the death toll of Washington’s controversial anti-narcotics campaign to 99 since September, according to an AFP tally.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the US Southern Command said the operation involved a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel allegedly operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization and engaged in narco-trafficking operations. The military added that four male “narco-terrorists” were killed, while no US personnel were harmed.

However, the Trump administration has so far provided no public evidence linking the targeted vessels to drug trafficking, fuelling growing debate over the legality of the strikes and the expanding use of military force in law-enforcement operations.

The latest strike comes amid heightened political scrutiny in Washington. On Wednesday, the Republican-led Senate passed a sweeping defence policy bill, expected to be signed by US President Donald Trump, which demands greater transparency on the operations. The legislation threatens to cut Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget by 25 per cent unless unedited video footage of the first strike in the campaign—carried out on September 2—is handed over to congressional committees.

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That initial strike remains particularly controversial, after reports that survivors of a first attack were killed in a second US strike, prompting accusations of a possible war crime. Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the operation during congressional testimony on Tuesday, describing it as a “highly successful mission.” Both officials pledged that lawmakers would be allowed to view the video footage by the end of the week, alongside Admiral Frank Bradley, who authorised the strike.

The operations are unfolding against a backdrop of escalating tension with Venezuela. President Trump has overseen a major US military deployment off Venezuela’s coast and this week announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil vessels” travelling to and from Caracas. The measures have intensified pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who insists the campaign is aimed at regime change, not drug interdiction.

The growing use of the military in deadly anti-drug operations and the possibility of strikes against Venezuela have sparked debate over whether the administration should seek formal authorisation from Congress. Despite this, the US House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected two Democratic-backed resolutions that sought to halt the strikes and any hostilities “in or against Venezuela” without congressional approval.