US strike in Caribbean: Another suspected drug vessel targeted; survivors found among crew

The US military reportedly carried out a new strike on an alleged drug-carrying vessel in the Caribbean on Thursday.

However, unlike its five previous attacks that killed at least 27 suspected narco-terrorists, some crew members survived this latest operation, according to US officials cited by Reuters.

More details are awaited as the Pentagon is yet to confirm the strike.

The fifth such strike was conducted on October 14, killing six. The operations have been going on since last month against what the Trump administration has described as its "war against narco-terrorism ."

In some cases, the US president himself has posted videos of the strikes to his Truth Social platform and alleged the boats were carrying drugs.

The operations have raised alarms among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether these adhere to the laws of war. The administration has countered by calling it a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels.

The focus of the operations has largely been Venezuela , with four of the five previous strikes targeting vessels that departed from the South American nation. The only non-Venezuelan boat to have been targeted was from Colombia, which one administration official described as a “deliberate” action.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump appeared to confirm he has authorised a “covert” CIA operation in Venezuela amid rising tensions between the two countries.