The move, which was first reported by Reuters, means that the US military will not have to grapple with thorny legal issues surrounding military detention for suspected drug traffickers, whose alleged crimes do not fall neatly under the laws of war, legal experts say.
"The two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution," US President Donald Trump said on Truth Social.
The US military staged a helicopter rescue for the survivors on Thursday after the strike on their semi-submersible vessel, suspected of trafficking illegal narcotics. The strike killed the other two crew members on board.
The US military flew the survivors to a US Navy warship in the Caribbean after the rescue.
"US Intelligence confirmed this vessel was loaded up with mostly Fentanyl, and other illegal narcotics," Trump said.
Trump did not provide any evidence, but did post a roughly 30 second video which appeared to show a semi-submersible vessel in the water before being hit by at least one projectile.
Speaking on Friday, Trump told reporters the strike was against "a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs".
Colombia's president's office, Ecuador's communications office and the foreign ministries of both countries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Trump administration has said the previous strikes killed 27 people, raising alarms among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they adhere to the laws of war.
The strikes come against the backdrop of a US military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and around 6500 troops as Trump escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.
On Wednesday, Trump disclosed he had authorised the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, adding to speculation in Caracas that the US is attempting to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro has denied any connection to drug smuggling and denounced the US boat strikes as a pretext for regime change, portraying them as violations of sovereignty and international law.
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