U.S. Boat Strikes Escalate to 50, Killing Over 170 Civilians

The Intercept reports that under the Trump administration the U.S. has carried out 50 strikes on civilian boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, resulting in at least 171 civilian deaths, as part of Operation Southern Spear. Experts say these killings amount to illegal extrajudicial actions and mark a troubling shift from traditional drug-war tactics, with some strikes moving onto land near the Colombia–Ecuador border and heightened pressure on human-rights bodies. Rescue efforts have often failed to save survivors, and critics urge congressional accountability.