A small boat struck by the US military on December 4 in the eastern Caribbean. PhotoX/@Southcom.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On Thursday night, the US Army’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the killing of four more civilians aboard a small boat struck in the eastern Pacific, part of an alleged war on drugs operation. Since last September, the operations have claimed the lives of 86 defenseless Latin American and Caribbean civilians.
In a social media post, the US military wrote the strike was ordered by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. “On Dec. 4, at the direction of Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization… Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed.”
Using similar language to previous announcements, the military justified the action by claiming US intelligence confirmed the targeted small boat was transporting “illicit narcotics and was transiting a known drug trafficking route in the eastern Pacific.”
On Dec. 4, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was carrying illicit narcotics and… pic.twitter.com/pqksvxM3HP
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 4, 2025
Earlier this week, the Pentagon chief stated that attacks against alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific have “only just begun.” Hegseth said these attacks had already resulted in 82 confirmed deaths in 21 operations prior to this latest strike.
According to Orinoco Tribune’s detailed record of the strikes, 22 strikes have taken place in three months, averaging over seven per month. The strikes have been split evenly, with 11 in the Caribbean Sea and 11 in the Eastern Pacific.
Despite information opacity, known victims include nationals from Venezuela, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, along with one Ecuadorian survivor. Forty-eight deaths, or 55.8%, occurred in the Caribbean Sea, while 38, or 44.2%, took place in the Eastern Pacific.
Scrutiny grows over operations
Curiously, no attacks were reported between November 15 and this week, as US public opinion began to demand responses. The controversial US military operation has been labeled by local and international legal and military experts as extrajudicial executions and war crimes.
US Expels SOUTHCOM Chief for Questioning Boat Strikes in the Caribbean
Scrutiny intensified following a recent Washington Post revelation of the “kill them all” scandal surrounding a September 2 strike, during which two survivors were reportedly deliberately killed. This case has brought intense scrutiny in the US on Secretary Hegseth and high military commanders.
So far, three survivors have been reported: one from Colombia, another from Ecuador, and a final one rescued by the Mexican Army in the Pacific Ocean. Mexican authorities have provided no further information on this survivor. The US government sent the identified survivors back to their home countries despite labeling them “narco-terrorists.” Both individuals were subsequently released for having no criminal record and a lack of evidence indicating their alleged crimes.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SF
