WASHINGTON, United States, May 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US military conducted a lethal strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific on Friday, killing three men, officials said.

It was the third deadly attack within the past week, bringing the total number of those killed to at least 198 -- according to an AFP tally -- since the Trump administration began its offensive in September.

In a post on X, US Southern Command said "the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations."

Video footage of the strike shows a vessel sitting on the open sea when it is engulfed by a big explosion, before the footage cuts to a closer shot of sinking, flaming wreckage.

The US military launched operation "Southern Spear" in early September with President Donald Trump insisting the US is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.

But his administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking.

Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States.