Alleged fight against drugs
US military attacks boats: eight dead within a few days
01/01/2026 – 09:53 amReading time: 2 minutes
The USA is taking ever tougher action against Venezuela. In recent reports of attacks on suspected drug boats, Trump’s military left out one piece of information.
The US military has again attacked suspected drug-laden boats off the coast of South America. Five people were killed. The two boats were traveling on a known drug smugglers’ route, the responsible US military regional command (Southcom) said on Platform X. It was not reported whether the attacks occurred in the Caribbean or the eastern Pacific.
The military said three “drug terrorists” were killed in the first attack on Wednesday (local time), and two more in the second strike. Their boats belonged to a group classified as a terrorist organization by the USA, it said.
Just a few hours earlier, the military had announced another attack on three alleged drug boats on Tuesday (local time). Three people were killed on the first boat. The people on board the other two boats jumped into the water before US forces sank the two remaining ships. The US Coast Guard was notified to search for possible survivors.
The location of the incident was also not disclosed in this attack. Until now, the US military had at least always stated whether an attack had taken place in the Pacific or the Caribbean. It was also always stated that the attacks took place “in international waters” – and not within the jurisdiction of a coastal state.
Since the beginning of September, the US armed forces have repeatedly attacked speedboats that are said to be loaded with drugs, citing alleged intelligence findings. According to official information, more than 100 people have already been killed in around 30 attacks. The US government consistently describes the victims as drug smugglers and “terrorists”, but is heavily criticized for the extrajudicial killings. Experts argue that the attacks are not permitted under international law.
