Archiv: death toll from US airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific / in Venezuela / Caribbean War


01.10.2026 - 00:52 [ Common Dreams ]

Federal Judge Rejects Trump’s Rationale for Hiding Memo on ‘Cold-Blooded Murder’ at Sea

A key memo from the Office of Legal Counsel at President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has underpinned the administration’s yearlong campaign of bombing boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, and the White House has been adamant that the document should be kept secret.

But on Wednesday, Judge Paul Engelmayer in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected the administration’s rationale for keeping the memo hidden, saying that the Department of Defense and US Southern Command have adopted its contents as its “working law” while conducting 70 strikes on boats and killing at least 234 people who officials claimed, without evidence, were “narco-terrorists.”

20.09.2026 - 12:44 [ CBS News ]

4 killed in U.S. strike on alleged drug-smuggling boat in Caribbean, Pentagon says

The U.S. military attacked a boat suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.

The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 231 in 69 strikes since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls „narcoterrorists“ about one year ago.

16.09.2026 - 22:56 [ Antiwar.com ]

Speaker Johnson Cancels Thursday House Session, Pushing Hegseth Impeachment Vote Until After Midterms

Massie argued in his eight articles of impeachment for Hegseth that passing the concurrent War Powers Resolution was one of the multiple ways Hegseth and the administration are breaking the law by continuing the Iran war.

The articles also address how Hegseth has ignored US laws designed to mitigate civilian casualties, his role in extrajudicial executions at sea (strikes on alleged drug-running boats), the attack on Venezuela to abduct President Maduro, the bombing campaign in Yemen last year, and his efforts to chill free speech.

03.09.2026 - 10:20 [ Democrats / US House Foreign Affairs Committee ]

Ranking Members Meeks, Smith, Himes, and Thompson Introduce War Powers Resolution to End Trump’s Illegal Boat Strikes

September 2, 2026

Washington, DC — Marking one year since the Trump administration’s first boat strike, U.S. Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; and Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced a War Powers Resolution today to block the administration from continuing to use U.S. Armed Forces to conduct strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.

“One year ago today, the Trump administration launched a campaign of extrajudicial killings, using the U.S. military and taxpayer dollars to execute at least 227 individuals without due process or a credible national-security justification. The administration calls this counternarcotics. However, it remains unclear whether these operations have made any real difference in stemming the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, and they were never authorized by Congress. A year later, the administration has little to show for this lawless campaign except a mounting body count, a massive price tag, and a stain on the American conscience.

03.09.2026 - 10:10 [ American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ]

ACLU Demands End to the Trump Administration’s Illegal Year-Long Boat Strikes Campaign

In Just One Year, the Trump Administration’s Bombing Campaign Has Killed at Least 227 People, Including Fishermen and Farmhands

03.09.2026 - 10:00 [ Common Dreams ]

Trump Condemned for 200+ Extrajudicial Killings After Yearlong Murder Spree at Sea

Wednesday marked one year since President Donald Trump began bombing boats allegedly smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean—a grim anniversary that sparked a fresh wave of condemnation from rights advocates across the United States and beyond.

13.08.2026 - 04:47 [ Common Dreams ]

Mysterious Attacks on Ecuadorian Fishers Raise Fears of Expanded US Boat Bombings

According to the Times, it was registered to a private company whose address was a UPS store mailbox in Virginia, deepening the mystery over who was operating it—and for whom.

“It would be one thing if the US didn’t have an overt maritime strike campaign, but they do, and they’re posting snuff films of boats going up in flames regularly,” Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer who specializes in the laws of war, told the Times.

“And that’s what makes this even more squirrelly,” added Finucane, now a senior adviser in the US Program at the International Crisis Group. “Who are these people that are operating, and under what authority? And they are using a UPS store as their company address? Come on.”

28.05.2026 - 14:39 [ CNN ]

Trump’s ‘blow ‘em up’ threat to Oman means he’s now attacked or threatened 1 out of every 13 countries

He’s launched strikes in seven countries so far this term — Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen — after also attacking some of those countries in his first term. That doesn’t even count the strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, which have targeted nearly 60 vessels and killed more than 190 people.

He has also threatened or left open the possibility of strikes against seven others this term: Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Greenland (which is part of Denmark), Mexico, Panama and now Oman. He also threatened Mexico and North Korea in his first term.

15.05.2026 - 00:56 [ New York Times ]

Tracking U.S. Military Killings in Boat Attacks

Strikes
57

Killed
192

23.04.2026 - 04:02 [ Truthout.org ]

US Carries Out Fifth Boat Strike in Under a Week, Bringing Death Toll to 177

(April 16, 2026)

As with the 50 previous attacks on boats in the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, the military did not publicize any evidence that the boat was carrying drugs or that its passengers were “narco-terrorists.”

23.04.2026 - 03:59 [ NBC News ]

Another U.S. strike on suspected drug boat in the eastern Pacific kills 4

(April 11, 2026)

The latest strike brings the death toll to 175 since the operations began in early September. The U.S. Coast Guard has suspended the search for one survivor from an attack Saturday.

U.S. Southern Command posted aerial video on social media Tuesday showing a vessel bobbing in the water before being struck by a projectile and exploding. The military earlier said it struck two boats on Saturday and a third on Monday.

08.01.2026 - 17:02 [ AP News ]

Cuba releases details of 32 officers killed in US strike on Venezuela as US defends attack

(January 7, 2026)

Among the deceased are colonels, lieutenants, majors and captains, as well as some reserve soldiers, ranging in age from 26 to 60.

The uniformed personnel belonged to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, Cuba’s two main security agencies. The publication did not specify their missions or exactly how they died.

05.01.2026 - 20:50 [ Democracy Now ]

“Venezuela Is Not Going to Be a U.S. Colony”: Report from Caracas on U.S. Attack & Maduro Abduction

U.S. forces attacked Venezuela and abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a Saturday night raid. About 80 people were reportedly killed, including 32 Cubans. Democracy Now! speaks with Andreína Chávez, a Venezuelan reporter based in Caracas, who calls the strikes an “imperialist attack.” Trump also said the U.S. would take the oil from Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven reserves.

04.01.2026 - 22:27 [ Anadolu ]

US operation in Venezuela kills at least 40 people: Report

Citing a senior Venezuelan official, who spoke anonymously, the report said: „At least 40 people, including civilians and soldiers, were killed in the attack.“

US officials told the New York Times that the assault involved a large-scale aerial operation aimed at disabling Venezuelan air defenses before ground forces were deployed.

„More than 150 US aircraft were dispatched to knock out air defenses, so military helicopters could deliver troops who assaulted Mr. Maduro‘s position, US officials said,“ it noted.

01.01.2026 - 12:09 [ CNN ]

US military says at least eight killed in new strikes on alleged drug boats, with survivors abandoning ship

On New Year’s Eve, US Southern Command said the military struck two boats “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations,” killing five people.

The day before, Tuesday, the US struck what it described as a “convoy” of three boats participating in the trafficking of narcotics, SOUTHCOM announced in a post to X on Wednesday. Three people aboard one boat were killed, while those in the other two abandoned their vessel.

SOUTHCOM said it notified the US Coast Guard after Tuesday’s strike to activate search and rescue efforts. It’s unclear whether any survivors have been recovered.

26.12.2025 - 18:54 [ Trinidad Express ]

Tensions over Venezuela: T&T in the middle as Trump and Maduro face off

BY the time the year comes to a close on December 31, the United States would have carried out one of the largest naval deployments to the Caribbean in more than two decades, sending multiple warships, 15,000 troops and the world’s largest aircraft carrier into waters once considered a “zone of peace”.

Accompanied by nearly 30 lethal so-called “boat strikes” that have killed at least 100 traversing the Caribbean and Pacific, the build-up sent the region’s small islands and South American countries into uncertainty, stoking fear of escalation, armed conflict and, in the case of Venezuela, the possibility of forced regime change.

23.12.2025 - 18:16 [ Presidency.ucsb.edu ]

Message to the Senate Transmitting the International Convention and Protocol on Terrorist Acts at Sea

To the Senate of the United States:

With a view to receiving the advice and consent of the Senate to ratification, I transmit herewith the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, and the related Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf, signed at Rome on March 10, 1988. I also transmit, for the information of the Senate, the report of the Department of State with respect to the Convention and Protocol.

The seizure of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro in 1985, and the murder of American passenger Leon Klinghoffer, demonstrated that no country, or form of transportation, is immune from the criminal savagery of those who engage in terrorist acts. This Convention is aimed at ensuring that those who engage in such acts on board or against ships engaged in navigation are brought to justice. The Protocol would do the same with respect to acts on or against fixed platforms on the continental shelf. Modeled on earlier conventions dealing with aircraft hijacking and sabotage (to which the United States is a party), they include provisions requiring States to provide severe punishment for such offenses, and to extradite or prosecute those who commit them.

Work on the Convention and Protocol began in 1986 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization on the basis of an initial draft cosponsored by the Governments of Italy, Austria and Egypt. That work was completed, and the Convention and Protocol adopted by consensus, at an international conference in Rome in March 1988. The United States and 22 other States signed the Convention at that time, and the United States and 20 other States signed the Protocol. It is clear that the Convention already has broad support in the international community, and it is hoped that all States will join in this major step to deter acts against the safety of maritime navigation.

I recommend, therefore, that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to this Convention and Protocol and give its advice and consent to ratification.

RONALD REAGAN

The White House,

January 3, 1989.

21.12.2025 - 13:57 [ Los Angeles Times ]

U.S. forces intercept another oil tanker off Venezuela

– U.S. forces seize a second merchant vessel off Venezuela’s coast in less than two weeks as Trump escalates military pressure on President NicolĂĄs Maduro over oil assets.
– Trump announced a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers and demanded Venezuela return assets seized from American oil companies, citing compensation disputes dating back decades.
– Military strikes targeting alleged drug smugglers have killed 104 people since September and face scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers for lack of evidence and civilian casualties.

03.12.2025 - 09:49 [ CNN ]

Trump and Hegseth insist they didn’t know of follow-up strike that killed survivors on suspected drug boat

But Hegseth on Tuesday also denied any direct role in targeting the survivors, saying he’d empowered Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley to make all of the operational decisions — and had left the room well before it became clear that some of the people on the boat had survived.

“I watched that first strike live,” Hegseth said. “I didn’t stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs, so I moved on to my next meeting.”

The defense secretary did not learn about the second strike, he added, until hours later.

02.12.2025 - 20:27 [ Time Magazine ]

What to Know About the Admiral Named by Hegseth as Boat Strike Comes Under Scrutiny

During the Sept. 2 strikes, Bradley was leading the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which oversees elite military teams, handles complex and sensitive military missions, and at times works with the CIA. In October, he assumed command of the JSOC’s parent group, the United States Special Operations Command, which oversees the military’s special operations in more than 80 countries.

02.12.2025 - 19:59 [ Brit Hume, Chief Political Analyst, Fox News Channel / X ]

How to point the finger at someone while pretending to support him.

(…)

02.12.2025 - 19:57 [ Yahoo ]

Hegseth Throws Admiral Under the Bus, Says Navy Leader Ordered Boat Survivors Killed

Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume quote-tweeted Hegseth and wrote, “How to point the finger at someone while pretending to support him.”

Earlier in the day, Hume said on Fox News that the story could be “a big problem” for the Trump administration.

Over on CNN, Ryan Goodman, former general counsel for the Department of Defense, stated that if Hegseth ordered everyone on the boat killed, the secretary is ultimately responsible for the second strike, regardless of Bradley’s involvement.

02.12.2025 - 19:50 [ Politico.com ]

White House says admiral approved second deadly boat strike

Hegseth “authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct these kinetic strikes,” Leavitt said. “The president has made it quite clear that if narco-terrorists again are trafficking illegal drugs towards the United States, he has the authority to kill them. That is what this administration is doing.”

02.12.2025 - 19:16 [ Time Magazine ]

Boat Strike Revelations Draw Bipartisan Outrage, Spurring Push for Hearings as Soon as ‘Next Week’

Lawmakers from both parties were raising the term “war crime” on Monday, as pressure mounts on the Trump Administration to release military video evidence and explain the legal basis for its escalating campaign in the Caribbean.

In the Senate, the calls for oversight were coalescing around Senator Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and has already directed an inquiry to the Pentagon and pledged “vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.” Several Senate Democrats told TIME on Monday that they have confidence in Wicker leading the investigation into the strike, but urged him to move quickly.

02.12.2025 - 19:09 [ Time Magazine ]

White House Confirms Second Strike on Alleged Drug Boat and Defends Move as Legal

(December 1, 2025)

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday that the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command acted “within his authority and the law” when striking an alleged drug boat a second time on Sept. 2 after the first strike left survivors.

The White House has scrambled in recent days to respond to reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an elite military unit to kill everyone on board an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean in early September, leading the commander to send a second strike that killed survivors from the first attack.

30.11.2025 - 08:13 [ theHill.com ]

House committee seeks ‘full accounting’ of boat strike after WaPo ‘kill everybody’ report

The leaders of the House Armed Services Committee said late Saturday they are seeking “full accounting” of an early September U.S. military attack against an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the Caribbean after a report alleged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered U.S. troops to “kill everybody” aboard the vessel.

“This committee is committed to providing rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) military operations in the Caribbean,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), the chair of the House committee, and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the panel, said in a joint statement.

29.11.2025 - 17:46 [ theHill.com ]

Senators vow oversight after report Hegseth told troops to ‘kill everybody’ in boat strike

Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) issued a statement Saturday vowing to conduct “vigorous oversight” on Caribbean strikes after a report surfaced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military to “kill everybody” aboard an alleged drug vessel.

29.11.2025 - 17:38 [ Washington Post ]

Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all

(November 28, 2025)

As two men clung to a stricken, burning ship targeted by SEAL Team 6, the Joint Special Operations commander followed the defense secretary’s order to leave no survivors.