Overview
- U.S. Southern Command said lethal strikes on Dec. 31 destroyed two vessels operated by “designated terrorist organizations,” killing five people.
- A separate operation on Dec. 30 hit a convoy of three boats in international waters, with at least three fatalities reported and the craft later sunk.
- Officials did not disclose precise locations for either action, saying only that intelligence showed the vessels were transiting known drug routes.
- The U.S. Coast Guard initiated search-and-rescue, deploying a C-130 to look for people in the water, and a U.S. official said eight individuals had abandoned boats in one incident.
- United Nations human rights officials and NGOs have called for investigations into potential extrajudicial killings as outlets tally more than 100 deaths from over 30 strikes since September.