US strikes kill 11 on three drug boats in eastern Pacific and Caribbean

US military officials said American forces launched assaults on three alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing 11 people in what authorities described as operations against narco-trafficking on sea routes in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean. The strikes push the tally of fatalities linked to the campaign to 145 since September, when the administration ordered a hardline approach against those labeled as narco-terrorists. Officials added that the strikes targeted vessels traveling known drug-trafficking routes, and a video from US Southern Command was released showing the operation this week. The forces reported that four men were killed on one boat in the eastern Pacific, four on another vessel in the eastern Pacific, and three on a vessel in the Caribbean. No US military personnel were harmed. The campaign has involved numerous strikes along maritime routes, with US officials arguing the operations disrupt trafficking networks and reduce violence linked to drug shipments. Critics, however, have questioned the legality of lethal strikes at sea, arguing that those killed are denied due process and that the actions could amount to extrajudicial killings if there is no imminent threat to US forces. As the administration sustains the near-daily operations against suspected traffickers, some legal observers say the approach raises serious concerns about international law and due process. The strikes come as the Pentagon recalibrates its naval focus, shifting attention away from the region in recent weeks to other strategic priorities, including the Middle East, even as the effort against narcotrafficking continues. The episode underscores the ongoing tension between aggressive anti-drug tactics and legal safeguards that govern armed action on the high seas.

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