US Strike in Caribbean Kills 2, Injures 1

By Staff, Agencies

The US military said Friday it carried out another strike on a suspected narcotics-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor, as part of its ongoing campaign in Latin American waters.

Footage released by US Southern Command showed the vessel moving across the water before being struck by what appeared to be a missile. Moments later, the boat was engulfed in flames.

According to Southern Command, the vessel was “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes” and “was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.”

The US military has yet to provide any evidence supporting the claims of targeting narcotics traffickers in these strikes on vessels in the Caribbean.

US officials stated that the two people killed were men and said the Coast Guard had been notified to conduct a search-and-rescue mission for the lone survivor.

The latest attack adds to the ever-expanding series of lethal US military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September.

The Trump administration has dramatically intensified military operations across Latin American maritime routes under what it describes as a campaign against “narco-terrorism.”

In recent weeks alone, US forces have launched multiple strikes against alleged drug-running vessels, including another attack earlier this week that killed three people.

According to a tally published by The Intercept, at least 58 strikes have been carried out since September, resulting in the deaths of 193 people, while only four survivors have reportedly been recovered alive.

Despite the scale of the operations, the Pentagon has repeatedly failed to release concrete evidence linking the targeted vessels to organized drug trafficking networks to the public.

Critics argue that Washington has increasingly blurred the distinction between military warfare and criminal law enforcement, transforming anti-drug operations into a broader militarized campaign across the region.

The legality of the US operations has come under mounting scrutiny from legal experts and international human rights organisations.

Several analysts have argued that the strikes amount to unlawful extrajudicial killings carried out without transparency, judicial oversight, or accountability mechanisms.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both criticized the campaign, warning that the Pentagon appears to be conducting lethal operations against individuals who may not pose an imminent threat.

Legal scholars have additionally questioned Washington’s invocation of “narco-terrorism” as a justification for military force in international waters, particularly in cases where evidence remains undisclosed.

The growing death toll has intensified concerns that civilians, including fishing crews and migrants, may be among those targeted during the operations.

The US is expanding a militarized campaign in Latin America under the “narco-terror” label, with increased naval and air operations, strikes on suspected drug vessels, and pressure on regional governments to cooperate.

Critics say the approach blurs counter-narcotics and military intervention, raising concerns over sovereignty, legality, and a possible return to deeper US regional interventionism.