Remains of a burned boat on the beach, near Puerto López on the Guajira Peninsula in Colombia. Photo: Federico Rios/New York Times.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—To close the year on their version of a “positive note,” officials from the US empire have announced the extrajudicial murder of at least eight civilians—and potentially as many as 13—as part of their controversial Southern Spear Operation. Analysts have characterized this latest escalation as a continuation of their imperial “killing spree” targeting small boats under the guise of a so-called “war on drugs,” marking what observers describe as a bloody and cold-blooded conclusion to 2025.
On Tuesday, December 30, US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) carried out three separate strikes against three small boats in an undisclosed location. These attacks resulted in the summary execution of three victims, while an estimated five survivors were reportedly abandoned to the elements, despite official claims that search and rescue orders were in place.
On Dec. 30, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted kinetic strikes against three narco-trafficking vessels traveling as a convoy. These vessels were operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence… pic.twitter.com/NHRNIzcrFS
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 31, 2025
Just 24 hours later, on December 31, the violence continued with two additional strikes against two separate small boats. These end-of-year executions claimed five more victims at another unspecified location. Legal and military experts across the world, including from within the US itself and the United Nations, have labeled these actions as extrajudicial killings and war crimes. President Trump has attempted to sell the attacks as an effort to crack down on illegal drug flows from Venezuela, despite the fact the nation has been proven to be less than a marginal actor in international narcotics networks.
Experts point out that this recent wave of violence is defined by a deliberate increase in administrative opacity. For several weeks, SOUTHCOM has strategically withheld information regarding the specific countries off whose coasts these executions occur. In these latest reports, the US colonial military has further blurred geographical data by failing to specify whether the strikes took place in the Caribbean Sea or the Eastern Pacific. Legal and military experts have condemned this lack of transparency as a calculated tactic to shield US imperialism from international accountability for their continued maritime massacres, judicial overreach, and blatant disregard for human life.
Incorporating these latest acts of aggression, the totals for Operation Southern Spear have reached what monitors are calling devastating levels. As of the end of 2025, the campaign has resulted in the following:
Statistics
| Category | Total Count |
| Strikes | 35 |
| Small Boats Sunk | 36 |
| Confirmed Victims | 115 (five survivors not counted) |
These figures represent a trail of blood across the region where, according to analysts, the US military continues to act as judge, jury, and executioner against defenseless civilians on the high seas.
In recent months, the US has deployed more than 18,000 troops in the Caribbean and the Pacific as part of their revamped so-called “war on drugs” military campaign. According to statements from the White House, the mission has recently shifted toward the goal of “recovering” Venezuelan oil, which Washington claims belongs to the US settler state.
Analysts and Venezuelan authorities have maintained since the beginning of the campaign that the actual goal is regime change: aiming to remove the democratically elected government of President Nicolás Maduro, in order to facilitate the colonial exploitation of natural resources.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/AU
