The US military attacked three suspected drug-trafficking boats on Monday night in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Eleven men on board were killed in the strikes, US Southern Command confirmed on Tuesday. "Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations," Southern Command said. The death toll included 4 men on the first Pacific vessel, 4 men on the second Pacific vessel, and 3 men on the Caribbean vessel. No US military personnel were harmed during the attacks. These strikes increase the total deaths from the US campaign, which started in September, to at least 135. The last strike before Monday happened on Friday in the Caribbean and killed three people. The Trump administration had produced a secret legal opinion last fall that classified drug cartels and traffickers as enemy combatants. This justified lethal strikes against at least two dozen groups, according to CNN. However, the strikes have faced criticism from legal experts and Democratic members of Congress. They argue these killings amount to murdering civilians since the US is not in a declared war against drug cartels. In September, the US military reportedly killed survivors after an initial strike failed to kill everyone on a drug boat. This act led to war crime accusations and congressional probes. Before September, drug trafficking was mainly handled by law enforcement and the Coast Guard, who treated cartel members as criminals with legal rights. The Coast Guard continues to seize drugs without using lethal force in the eastern Pacific.