India, Dec. 5 -- The US military said it killed four men in a strike on a suspected drug vessel in international waters in the Eastern Pacific on Thursday, in what is being seen as a continuation of action against alleged drug traffickers by the Donald Trump administration.

According to a statement by the US military's Southern Command, it had "confirmed intelligence" that the boat was carrying illegal drugs.

"On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organisation. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in th...