Eleven people died after the US military attacked three boats accused of drug trafficking. Four men died on each of two boats in the Eastern Pacific. Three others died on a boat in the Caribbean Sea. The US military confirmed the vessels followed known drug routes and took part in drug operations. These strikes happened late Monday night with no reported injuries to US forces. Since September, the Trump administration has launched over 40 deadly strikes on drug boats in these waters. The attacks slowed when US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in early January, whom the administration blames for aiding drug groups. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the goal is to remove “narco-terrorists from our hemisphere” and protect Americans from harmful drugs. However, the US has not provided proof the boats carried drugs. Legal experts warn the strikes may break international law and target civilians without due process. The White House defends the strikes as legal, stating President Trump has declared an armed conflict with drug cartels and calls the boat crews “combatants.” More than 130 people have died in these strikes so far. Last week, a US Marine went missing and became the first American casualty in this operation. Some families of those killed are suing the US government, calling the attacks “lawless killings in cold blood.”