Pentagon Reports 82 Killed in 21 Strikes During Operation Southern Spear

A Pentagon report revealed that US military forces had conducted 21 kinetic strikes killing 82 people as part of Operation Southern Spear targeting suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. The strikes had expanded from the Caribbean to the Eastern Pacific by October 2025. Only four survivors had been taken into custody across all strikes—two from an October 16 strike were repatriated to Ecuador and Colombia, where both were released due to lack of evidence of criminal activity. The death toll would continue to climb, reaching 115 killed in 35 strikes by year’s end. Human Rights Watch characterized the operations as ’lawless executions at sea’ and called on other countries to push back.