US Military's Drug-Boat Strikes Have Now Killed At Least 240 People

What happened: U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out a lethal strike on a "go-fast vessel" in the eastern Pacific on Oct. 27, killing five people. SOUTHCOM linked the vessel to narco-trafficking routes. Key numbers: At least 240 people killed since September 2025. Why it matters: The strikes face mounting legal scrutiny. The UN found reasonable grounds to believe the killings constituted murder under international law and warned the campaign could amount to crimes against humanity. Families of two men killed sued the U.S. government.

U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out a lethal strike on a "go-fast vessel" in the eastern Pacific on Oct. 27, killing five people. SOUTHCOM linked the vessel to narco-trafficking routes.

The strikes face mounting legal scrutiny. The UN found reasonable grounds to believe the killings constituted murder under international law and warned the campaign could amount to crimes against humanity. Families of two men killed sued the U.S. government.