Op-Ed: U.S. Must End Illegal Boat Strikes in Caribbean and Pacific

This Op-Ed criticizes the U.S. military for conducting extrajudicial killings via boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific over the past nine months. Citing reports from The Intercept, the author notes that 58 strikes have killed at least 193 people, many of whom remain unidentified. The Trump administration justifies these actions as counter-narco-terrorism operations, claiming the vessels were engaged in drug trafficking. However, the article argues that no evidence supports these claims or indicates an imminent threat from the victims, who included civilians and fishermen. Legal experts and UN officials condemn the strikes as violations of international law, rejecting the administration's assertion of an armed conflict with drug cartels. Specific incidents highlighted include the disappearance of eight Ecuadorian fishermen and the alleged torture of survivors by U.S. forces. The author calls for an immediate end to these operations, accountability for the harms caused, and congressional oversight to prevent the normalization of unlawful force and abuse of power.