US military kills two on Caribbean vessel it called drug terrorists

The United States Southern Command announced that a U.S. military operation in the Caribbean Sea killed two people aboard a boat, describing the victims as "narcoterrorists" and saying the vessel was operated by an unspecified terrorist organization. The strike is part of a campaign launched in September targeting small vessels suspected of smuggling drugs into the United States. The Trump administration did not provide concrete evidence linking the targeted ships to drug trafficking, and the legality of the attacks has been questioned internationally. UN experts and other observers have condemned the killings as extrajudicial.

Reuters reported the incident on Tuesday night, noting that the operation reflects ongoing U.S. efforts to combat drug smuggling in the Caribbean and Pacific regions, while also fueling debate over the use of lethal force against suspected drug traffickers.