Key points: The Justice Department says recent US military strikes on vessels suspected of ferrying drugs complied with the laws of armed conflict and that service members involved — in operations linked to at least 76 deaths — will not be prosecuted. The department reportedly prepared a classified July opinion to legally protect personnel. UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk urged an independent investigation, warning there are "strong indications" the strikes could be extrajudicial killings and arguing they should be treated as law-enforcement actions where lethal force is a last resort.
Justice Department: US Service Members Will Not Face Prosecution Over Lethal Drug-Boat Strikes
Key points: The Justice Department says recent US military strikes on vessels suspected of ferrying drugs complied with the laws of armed conflict and that service members involved — in operations linked to at least 76 deaths — will not be prosecuted. The department reportedly prepared a classified July opinion to legally protect personnel. UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk urged an independent investigation, warning there are "strong indications" the strikes could be extrajudicial killings and arguing they should be treated as law-enforcement actions where lethal force is a last resort.
12:25 AM, 11/13/2025Security
Justice Department Defends Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Boats
The US Justice Department on Wednesday defended recent lethal military strikes against vessels suspected of trafficking drugs, rejecting allegations that the operations amount to extrajudicial killings that would warrant criminal charges.
"The strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders," a Justice Department spokesperson said. "Military personnel are legally obligated to follow lawful orders and, as such, are not subject to prosecution for following lawful orders."
The department said US service members involved in the strikes — operations that officials say have left at least 76 people dead — will not face prosecution. The Washington Post reported that the Justice Department drafted a classified legal opinion in July outlining the legal rationale that would shield personnel from possible future criminal liability.
US forces have carried out a series of strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific in recent weeks against boats the government says were ferrying narcotics. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the most recent operation in the Pacific over the weekend killed six people.
International Concerns and Legal Debate
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged Washington to investigate whether the strikes were lawful, saying there are "strong indications" the incidents could constitute extrajudicial killings. Türk told AFP the operations should be considered law-enforcement actions governed by international human-rights law rather than measures of armed conflict.
In law-enforcement contexts, Türk said, "the use of lethal force has to be extremely limited. It has to be the absolute last resort in the face of an immediate attack. That's not what we're seeing." He called for an independent probe to establish facts and accountability.
The Trump administration has notified Congress that it considers the United States to be in an "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels and has at times described certain cartel groups as terrorists as part of its justification for the strikes. Critics warn that framing the campaign as an armed conflict could allow military rules to override the stricter human-rights standards that apply to policing operations.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been indicted on drug charges in the United States, claimed the military buildup in the region is part of a plot to remove him from power. Rights groups and legal experts have pressed for greater transparency about the rules of engagement, target selection and casualty figures associated with the strikes.
Calls for an independent investigation continue as international officials stress the need to determine whether the strikes complied with international humanitarian and human-rights law.