US Military Conducts 15th Caribbean Strike Killing Suspected Narco-Terrorists

The U.S. military, under the direction of President Trump, has conducted a lethal strike on a suspected drug smuggling vessel in international waters of the Caribbean, killing three individuals labeled as "narco-terrorists." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the targeted vessel was linked to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and was carrying narcotics along a known trafficking route, marking at least the 15th such operation since early September with at least 64 people killed. The Trump administration justifies these strikes as part of an armed conflict against drug cartels, using legal authorities similar to those invoked after the 9/11 attacks, and has deployed significant naval assets to the region. However, these operations have drawn criticism and legal challenges from Democrats, some Republicans, UN experts, and human rights groups, who question the strikes' legality under international law and call for independent investigations. Congressional leaders have pressed the administration for transparency, seeking detailed legal justifications, identities of targeted groups, and criteria for designations, amid concerns over oversight of lethal strikes outside traditional battlefields. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the military buildup and operations as attempts to destabilize his government.