...
By Robert Birsel and John Feng
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The U.S. Southern Command said it killed four men in a military strike on Wednesday on a vessel smuggling drugs in international waters in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Why It Matters
In recent months, the U.S. military has announced 26 operations against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, as part of a campaign by President Donald Trump to tackle the smuggling of drugs to the United States.
Read More on News
In all, 98 people have been killed, according to the civilian harm watchdog Airwars.
The strikes have increased tensions with Venezuela and Colombia amid a U.S. military buildup in the region and indications from the Trump administration that it will intensify its campaign to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro—including comments from Trump that military strikes on land will soon start.
Where Did the Strike Happen?
SOUTHCOM said in a statement on X that the strike on December 17 was undertaken at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” the command said.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no U.S. military forces were harmed.”
SOUTHCOM gave no further details.
What To Know
The attack comes after an allegation surfaced that U.S. forces had shot and killed post-explosion survivors in Caribbean waters during the administration's first publicly announced strike on September 2. That incident has raised questions about rules of engagement, operational oversight and potential violations of international law.
Hegseth has insisted the operations are lawful. He has framed them as “lethal, kinetic strikes” intended to destroy “narco-boats” and kill “narco-terrorists,” while asserting that every trafficker killed was tied to a designated terrorist organization.
But lawmakers and former military lawyers have warned the operations could breach peacetime limits on the use of force and the laws of armed conflict, particularly if survivors of an initial strike were deliberately targeted while shipwrecked, in what could be a violation of specific legal protections.
The offshore strikes are part of a broader U.S. campaign to oust Maduro, according to Caracas.
Trump, in an address to the nation on Wednesday evening, did not mention Venezuela or refer explicitly to the strikes on suspected drug boats, but he did mention progress in the campaign to stop drug smuggling into the United States.
“Drugs brought in by ocean and by sea are now down 94 percent,” he said.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement on November 29: “Our current operations in the Caribbean are lawful under both U.S. and international law, with all actions in compliance with the law of armed conflict—and approved by the best military and civilian lawyers, up and down the chain of command.”
What Happens Next
Wednesday’s strikes suggest the administration is pressing ahead with the mission even as the controversy over the operation deepens.
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines