Pentagon reports 133 killed in 39 drug-boat strikes under Operation Southern Spear

The Pentagon disclosed that U.S. Special Operations forces had conducted 39 airstrikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific since September 2025 under Operation Southern Spear, killing at least 133 people. The Defense Department declined to release evidence or identities of those killed, citing operational security. Critics in Congress and human rights organizations questioned whether any of the dead were confirmed narcotics traffickers or civilians, noting no independent verification had been allowed.