A US strike on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea killed three people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said on Saturday.

This is the latest in a series of attacks on vessels the United States says have been carrying narcotics in the Caribbean and Pacific.

"This vessel — like EVERY OTHER — was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling," Hegseth wrote in a post on X.

"These narco-terrorists are bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans at home — and they will not succeed," he added. 

Hegseth also again compared the alleged drug smugglers to the terrorist group al-Qaeda. 

"The Department will treat them EXACTLY how we treated al-Qaeda. We will continue to track them, map them, hunt them, and kill them," he said.

Hegseth also shared video footage showing the moment the boat is hit.

As in previous US government videos, areas on the boat are obscured, making it impossible to verify how many people were on board. 

UN urges US to stop bombing alleged drug smuggling boats

On Friday, the United Nations urged Washington to halt its attacks.

More than 60 people have reportedly been killed in these US strikes since early September, said UN rights chief Volker Türk.

While acknowledging the challenges of tackling drug trafficking, Türk noted in a statement that these people had been killed "in circumstances that find no justification in international law."

"These attacks and their mounting human cost are unacceptable," Türk said. "The US must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats."

President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the US.

Edited by: Darko Janjevic