Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said late Feb. 16 strikes hit two boats in the eastern Pacific and one in the Caribbean, killing 11 men with no U.S. casualties reported.
- The actions were directed by Gen. Francis L. Donovan under Joint Task Force Southern Spear, with SOUTHCOM posting strike footage on X that shows the vessels being destroyed.
- Video released by the military includes clips in which two boats appear stationary before impact, while a third is moving at speed.
- Officials say the campaign has topped 40 announced strikes since September with roughly 135–145 people reported killed, though the military has not publicly provided proof the targeted boats carried drugs.
- The administration frames the effort as an armed conflict with cartels using terrorist designations, while rights groups, U.N. experts, lawmakers and victims’ families pursue challenges through oversight bodies and courts.