Washington: The US military has carried out another strike on a boat it alleged was transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing all four people on board, according to US officials. US Southern Command claimed on social media that the boat was being operated by ‘narco-terrorists’ along a known trafficking route.

According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the US military did not provide evidence to support the claim but released a video showing a boat moving on open waters before an explosion. The latest incident brings the number of US-announced attacks on boats to 26, operations that have resulted in at least 99 deaths.

US President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the country, claiming that the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug trafficking groups. Amid growing scrutiny, Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected two Democrat-backed resolutions that would have limited Trump’s authority to use military force against alleged drug cartels and Venezuela.

Democrats used war powers resolutions to force a vote aimed at restricting Trump’s ability to declare war on Venezuela, as the president has escalated threats against the South American country. The vote came as Congress questioned the legal basis of operations that led to the destruction of 26 alleged drug-carrying boats and the killing of at least 99 people.

Had it passed, the resolution would have required the Trump administration to seek congressional authorization before continuing attacks on alleged trafficking groups or launching military action against Venezuela. The measure failed by 216 votes to 210 in the Republican-led House.