The U.S. military’s strikes on boats have killed 117 people and destroyed 37 vessels in an operation officials say targets drug trafficking. Several survivors were reported — two briefly detained by the U.S. Navy and one presumed dead after a Mexican Navy search. The Coast Guard conducted searches following incidents on Dec. 30 (suspended Jan. 2) and a separate search was launched on Jan. 23. The Trump administration has characterized the campaign beginning Sept. 2 as an “armed conflict” with cartels, a legal stance that lawmakers and rights groups have challenged.
Timeline: U.S. Strikes On Boats That Killed 117 — What We Know
This grid of images shows 10 of the incidents in which the US military has targeted boats in international waters, from September 2 to October 29. - Pete Hegseth/X/Donald Trump/Truth Social
The U.S. military has carried out a series of strikes on vessels that officials say were linked to drug trafficking. The campaign has resulted in 117 fatalities and the destruction of 37 boats, according to U.S. accounts. Washington frames the operations as part of an effort to stem the flow of narcotics into the United States, but questions remain about evidence, legal authority and oversight.
Key Details
Casualties and Damage: U.S. strikes are reported to have killed 117 people and destroyed 37 boats.
Survivors: Several people survived the strikes. Two survivors were briefly detained by the U.S. Navy and subsequently returned to their home countries. Another individual is presumed dead after a search by the Mexican Navy failed to locate them.
Coast Guard Searches: The U.S. Coast Guard launched a search after an incident on December 30 in international waters for an unspecified number of survivors who abandoned ship prior to strikes. That search was suspended on January 2. On January 23, the Coast Guard launched a separate search for an additional survivor of a different boat strike.
Legal And Political Context
The Trump administration informed Congress that, beginning with the first strike on September 2, it considers the operations part of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels. The administration has labeled those killed as "unlawful combatants" and cites a classified Department of Justice finding to assert the authority to conduct lethal strikes without judicial review.
Some members of Congress and a number of human rights organizations have challenged this legal framing. Critics argue that suspected traffickers should instead be arrested and prosecuted under existing criminal laws, consistent with longstanding U.S. interdiction policy prior to these strikes.
Questions About Evidence
The administration has not publicly released evidence demonstrating that narcotics were present on the struck vessels or that the boats were formally tied to organized cartels. Military officials say no U.S. service members have been harmed in the course of these strikes.
What’s Next
Investigations and oversight requests from lawmakers and rights groups are likely to continue. The lack of public evidence and the classified legal rationale have raised calls for greater transparency and potential judicial or congressional review.
This article has been updated with additional reporting.
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