United States military strikes against two boats allegedly carrying drug traffickers, which the Trump administration said killed at least 14 people, were unlawful extrajudicial killings, Human Rights Watch said today. The strikes come amid efforts by the White House to secure broad new authority to target so-called "narco-terrorists," which could facilitate further human rights violations.
"US officials cannot summarily kill people they accuse of smuggling drugs," said Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch. "The problem of narcotics entering the United States is not an armed conflict, and US officials cannot circumvent their human rights obligations by pretending otherwise."
On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced that US military forces struck a speed boat from Venezuela in international waters, killing 11 people who he said were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan organized crime group designated by the US State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the boat as a vessel operated by a "narco-terrorist organization" transporting drugs into the United States.
Trump posted aerial footage of the boat exploding on Truth Social later that day. From the low-resolution footage, Human Rights Watch visually confirmed that at least six people were aboard the vessel at the time of the strike. The location of the boat and time of the attack remain unverified. According to the New York Times, a senior US official said that a special operations aircraft-either an attack helicopter or an MQ-9 Reaper drone-carried out the attack.
On September 15, Trump announced that US military forces had carried out a second attack on another boat from Venezuela in international waters, killing three men. Footage of the attack shows the boat idling with at least two figures aboard before being engulfed in an explosion. Human Rights Watch was unable to verify where or when the attack took place. In his post announcing the second attack, Trump stated: "BE WARNED - IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!"
The US military's use of lethal force against suspected drug traffickers in these two strikes violated international human rights law, Human Rights Watch said. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the United States has ratified, protects the right to life. Under human rights law standards, officials engaging in law enforcement, including military personnel, must seek to minimize injury and preserve human life. They may use lethal force only when strictly unavoidable to protect against an imminent threat of death or serious injury.
In both strikes, the US authorities made no effort to minimize harm and have not sought to demonstrate that the individuals aboard the vessels posed any imminent threat to life. Nor were nonlethal alternatives-such as interdiction or arrest-ever attempted. Instead, administration officials have described the strikes in terms that make them unlawful targeted killings. The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial summary or arbitrary executions, in a joint statement with two other UN human rights experts, has condemned both strikes as extrajudicial executions.
International humanitarian law, which governs the conduct of hostilities during armed conflict, does not apply in this context. The US is not engaged in an armed conflict with Venezuela or with the alleged criminal groups involved. Foreign governments should publicly and privately condemn the attacks, Human Rights Watch said.
The strikes have taken place in the context of the Trump administration's dismantling of internal legal oversight mechanisms within the US military. Key protections designed to ensure compliance with international law have been hollowed out, Human Rights Watch said.
In February, the administration removed senior judge advocate general officers-military lawyers tasked with reviewing the legality of operations-from critical decision-making roles. Also in February, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a directive that significantly relaxed oversight of airstrikes and special operations raids, allowing commanders greater latitude to authorize lethal force without the multi-layered legal vetting previously required. This erosion of safeguards increases the risk of unlawful attacks and undermines the military's ability to uphold its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.
"The US military should immediately halt any plans for future unlawful strikes and ensure that all military operations comply with international human rights and humanitarian law," Yager said. "Congress should open a prompt and transparent investigation into the decision-making process behind these attacks, including the legal rationale and chain of command."
