Killing “Narco-Terrorists” at Sea

United States: Year of Extrajudicial Killings at Sea

Today marks one year since the United States began an unlawful campaign of lethal military strikes targeting vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, claiming 227 lives. US officials should be urgently held to account for these killings, Human Rights Watch said today.

Briefing note - Killing “Narco-Terrorists” at Sea: The Legality of Military Attacks on Criminal Groups and Drug Trafficking under International Human Rights Law and Other Applicable International Law September 2026

Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism

United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear

The United States military began executing airstrikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea in September 2025, described by the administration of President Donald Trump as part of an effort to fight the flow of illicit drugs from Latin America to the US. In October, the strikes expanded to include vessels in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The Trump administration has alleged, without producing public evidence, that the vessels were operated by groups it designated as narcoterrorists, including the Venezuelan organization Tren de Aragua and the Colombian far-left guerilla group National Liberation Army.