US Faces ‘War Crimes’ Backlash After SOUTHCOM Kills 5 ‘Narco-terrorists’ in Eastern Pacific

The U.S. military said it killed five suspected drug traffickers in strikes on two boats in the Eastern Pacific on April 11.

In a post on X, U.S. Southern Command said it was “applying total systemic friction on the cartels,” adding that the strikes were carried out under the direction of Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan.

It said the Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted “two lethal kinetic strikes” on vessels allegedly operated by designated terrorist organizations.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the tweet continued.

According to the statement, two men were killed in the first strike while one survived, and three were killed in the second. The U.S. Coast Guard was tasked with search and rescue operations for the survivor. No U.S. personnel were injured, it said.

However, the strikes drew criticism online, with some social media users calling the attacks a potential “war crime,” according to The Mirror.

“2nd strike? Literally a war crime to fire again on a disabled boat. Especially of this type," wrote @leetwheat who said the U.S. “government officials continue to break international law.”

“Killing unarmed victims isn’t “war” or “justice” - it’s cold blooded murder. And one day, you will pay for your crimes,” wrote another user.

Rights groups and international law experts have also raised concerns, saying such operations could constitute extrajudicial killings if those targeted did not pose an imminent threat.

The strikes are part of a broader U.S. campaign launched in September 2025 to curb drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. According to reports, at least 163 people have been killed in at least 47 strikes on 48 vessels.

U.N. officials and foreign leaders have previously expressed concern, warning that the operations may violate international law and urging the U.S. to halt the use of lethal force in such cases.

“It’s called extrajudicial murder,” wrote an X user of the attacks on April 12.

An Austrian lawyer, Volker Türk urged the U.S. government to halt its “unacceptable” operations in October 2025. “Take measures to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats, whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them,” Türk said.

“Based on the very sparse information provided publicly by the US authorities, none of the individuals on the targeted boats appeared to pose an imminent threat to the lives of others or otherwise justified the use of lethal armed force against them under international law,” Türk added.

In November, Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced questions from his fellow G7 foreign ministers about the legality of the U.S. strikes.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also slammed the military operations.

“We have observed with concern military operations in the Caribbean region because they disregard international law and because France has a presence in this region through its overseas territories, where more than a million of our compatriots reside,” he told reporters back in November 2025.