The U.S. military conducted a strike in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, killing 3 people, according to U.S. Southern Command. (U.S. Southern Command)
The U.S. military conducted a strike in the Caribbean Sea on Monday, killing three people, according to U.S. Southern Command.
No U.S. forces were harmed in the operation, SOUTHCOM said in a post on X.
Monday’s attack raises the death toll from the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats to at least 150 people in at least 44 strikes carried out since early September in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”
The U.S. resumed strikes in late January after largely backing off in the region following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3.
The latest strike is the second to occur in the region since SOUTHCOM commander Marine Corps Gen. Francis Donovan made a surprise visit to Venezuela last Wednesday.
Donovan met with American military personnel as well as members of the country’s interim leadership, according to a SOUTHCOM post on X.
The general assumed command on Feb. 5, replacing Adm. Alvin Holsey, who retired in December with two years left in his tenure.
