World News
Families seek answers one year into US military boat strike campaign in Caribbean and Pacific
Relatives of missing fishermen suspect their loved ones were killed in US operations targeting alleged drug vessels, while the Pentagon maintains the lethal strikes are lawful.
The short version
- One year into a US military campaign targeting suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, more than 220 people have been killed in lethal strikes.
- Families of missing fishermen from Saint Lucia and Colombia fear their relatives were killed after disappearing around the times and locations of publicized US drone attacks.
- The US government has not publicly identified the deceased or released specific evidence justifying individual strikes, defending the actions as lawful operations against narcoterrorists.
- Legal challenges contesting the campaign's legality and due process protections are proceeding in US federal court and before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Key facts
- Since September 2, 2025, the Trump administration has conducted strikes against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, killing over 220 people labeled by the US as narcoterrorists.[Al Jazeera]
- The White House and US Southern Command stated that the strikes are conducted under lawful authority against designated narcoterrorists, but declined to comment on individual identities or cases.[Al Jazeera]
- Relatives of Saint Lucian fishermen Joseph William and Ricky Joseph, as well as Colombian fisherman Alejandro Carranza, suspect they were killed in strikes after disappearing in February and September 2025, respectively.[Al Jazeera]
- Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre stated that local law enforcement considers the fishermen's disappearance an open missing persons case and that the US government has provided no information.[Al Jazeera]
- Legal challenges regarding the campaign have been filed, including a lawsuit in US federal court by families of two missing Trinidadian men and a complaint before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of Carranza.[Al Jazeera]
What remains uncertain
- The precise identities of the more than 220 individuals killed in the boat strikes remain unconfirmed publicly, as the US military has not published victim names or targeting dossiers.[Al Jazeera]
- Whether the specific missing fishermen from Saint Lucia and Colombia were aboard the vessels struck by US forces has not been independently verified or officially acknowledged by US authorities.[Al Jazeera]