Second strike in three days kills 4 in Caribbean, toll passes 227

Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere struck a suspected go-fast drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea on 25 August 2026, killing 4 people — the second lethal strike in three days after the roughly two-month operational pause ended with the 23 August Pacific strike. Gen. Francis Donovan said JTF-WHEM would continue to 'hunt, disrupt, and defeat' narco-terrorist networks. The strike brought the campaign's confirmed toll to at least 227 killed across 68 strikes since September 2025. It came days after Sen. Tim Kaine wrote to President Trump that a review of classified intelligence showed the campaign has likely killed people not involved in narcotrafficking, calling them 'murder victims,' as the Pentagon Inspector General's review of targeting procedures continues.