UN human rights chief says US strikes on alleged drug boats ‘unacceptable’

The United Nations’ human rights chief has demanded an investigation into US military operations against ships allegedly carrying illegal drugs from South America in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, calling on the attacks to end.

Volker Turk, the UN’s head of human rights, issued a statement on Friday that the UNHCR had the first official condemnation of US strikes.

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“These attacks are unacceptable, and their continuing human suffering,” Turk said. Whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them, the US must put an end to these attacks and take all necessary steps to stop the extrajudicial killing of those aboard these ships.

At a regular UN briefing, Turk’s representative Ravina Shamdasani expressed concern that Washington’s actions were in violation of international human rights law and called for prompt, independent, and transparent inquiries.

The attacks on the boats are a necessary step in the fight against drug cartels, which has caused divisions in the region. US President Donald Trump has argued this is a necessary step.

His increasingly violent rhetoric toward left-wing governments in Venezuela and Colombia hints at possible ulterior motives, perhaps even “regime change” in the latter.

In a significant increase in its military presence in the region, the US recently sent an aircraft carrier strike group to Latin America, which sparked rumors of an attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan government.

Shamdasani cited US explanations, but noted that nations have long concurred that the use of lethal force is subject to “careful limits” in the context of the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

She said that the only way to use lethal force unintentionally against someone who poses “an imminent threat to life” is to use it as a last resort. Otherwise, it would constitute extrajudicial killings and constitute a violation of the right to life.

According to Shamdasani, the strikes are occurring “aside from the context” of armed conflict or active hostilities.

Numerous US casualties are reported.

Pete Hegseth, the US’s secretary of defense, announced on Wednesday that the latest military operation was underway in the eastern Pacific Ocean while he claimed a boat was carrying drugs. All four passengers died, in total.

The death toll has increased to at least 61 as a result of Wednesday’s strike, which is the 14th since the campaign started in early September.

Hegseth claimed on Tuesday morning that Washington had attacked boats suspected of distributing illegal narcotics in eastern Pacific Ocean waters, killing 14 people and leaving one of the survivors.

The first time multiple strikes were announced in a single day was with the string of attacks on Monday. A survivor has also been confirmed for the second time since September 2 when the bombing campaign first commenced.

Two survivors, both of whom were repatriated to their home countries on October 16, were reportedly left by another strike.