Eleven Killed in U.S.-Led Strikes on Suspected Drug Boats Across Caribbean and Pacific

The U.S. Southern Command says 11 men were killed in three strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean (four on the first vessel, four on the second, three on the third), with no U.S. personnel injured. The operation, carried out since September, has faced questions about legality and due process, as the Pentagon has provided no evidence that the boats carried drugs, while officials claim the crews were combatants in an armed conflict with drug cartels. The pace of strikes has slowed since Maduro's 2024 capture, and some families have sued the U.S. government. More than 130 people have reportedly been killed in these strikes overall.