"The strikes were ordered consistent with the laws of armed conflict, and as such are lawful orders," a Justice Department spokesperson said.
US service members who participate in the strikes, which have left at least 76 people dead, do not risk prosecution, the spokesperson said.
"Military personnel are legally obligated to follow lawful orders and, as such, are not subject to prosecution for following lawful orders."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington on Monday to investigate the legality of the strikes on the alleged drug-running boats, saying there were "strong indications" they constitute "extrajudicial killings."
The US military has carried out a series of strikes in the Caribbean and the Pacific in recent weeks on boats Washington claims are ferrying drugs. The latest took place in the Pacific over the weekend and left six people dead, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the Justice Department had drafted a classified opinion in July laying out the legal basis for the strikes that shields personnel taking part from potential future prosecution.
President Donald Trump's administration has said in a notice to Congress that the United States is engaged in "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels, describing them as terrorist groups as part of its justification for the strikes.
Turk, in an interview with AFP, said the operations against suspected drug traffickers should be considered "law enforcement operations," which fall under international human rights law.
In such cases, "the use of lethal force has to be extremely limited," Turk said. "It has to be the absolute last resort in the face of an immediate attack. That's not what we're seeing."
Asked if he believed the strikes could constitute extrajudicial killings, Turk said: "There are strong indications that they are, but they need to investigate this."
The Trump administration has built up significant military forces in Latin America in what it says is a campaign to stamp out drug trafficking.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been indicted on drug charges in the United States, has claimed that the military buildup is part of a plot to oust him.
Joint Dominican-US operation halts alleged cocaine-smuggling boat
Santo Domingo (AFP) Nov 15, 2025 -
Authorities in the Dominican Republic said Saturday they seized about 500 kilograms of cocaine from a boat intercepted during a joint operation with the United States, amid a major regional US military buildup.
The seizure of the boat off the Dominican coast was carried out "in support of the United States Southern Command's Operation Southern Spear," the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD) said in a statement.
The agency said it had worked closely with the US Drug Enforcement Administration to stop the boat.
"The acting units carried out an extensive operation by air, sea, and land to capture several individuals" who were approaching Dominican coastal waters "in a vessel carrying a significant shipment of alleged narcotics," the DNCD said.
Two Dominican nationals were arrested and 484 packets amounting to nearly 500 kilos (1,000 pounds) of cocaine were confiscated from the 27-foot-long boat equipped with two outboard motors, the agency said.
Operation Southern Spear, announced by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday, is part of a deployment of warships and warplanes to Latin America to combat what Washington says are drug-running boats run by "narco-terrorist" cartels.
But Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro accuses US President Donald Trump of preparing to mount operations to overthrow the government in Caracas.
Since September, the US has bombed 21 suspected drug-trafficking boats in the region, resulting in at least 80 deaths. The US accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel and is offering a $50 million reward for his capture.
On Friday, Trump said he had "sort of" decided his next steps regarding Venezuela, but declined to share further details.
Six minors killed in Colombian airstrikes on guerrillas this week: ombudsman
Bogota (AFP) Nov 15, 2025 -
Six minors were killed this week in Colombian military airstrikes against an alleged drug-running armed group in the country's southern Amazon region, the national ombudsman's office said Saturday.
Iris Marin, head of the office, told reporters that "six minors who had been victims of forced recruitment" died in the operation ordered by President Gustavo Petro, who is under US pressure to crack down on drug trafficking.
Colombia's military announced on Tuesday that it had carried out airstrikes in the Amazon region in the early hours of November 10, killing 19 members of an ex-FARC splinter group.
The military also reported the "rescue" of three minors from rebel hands following the bombing.
Additionally, a defense ministry source told AFP on Friday that the military had killed nine suspected guerrillas in strikes in Arauca province, near the Venezuelan border.
The operations are part of Petro's intensifying attacks against armed groups involved in cocaine trafficking, following fierce criticism from US President Donald Trump over his alleged inaction on drug production.
In a Saturday post on X, Petro defended the military's actions in the Amazon operation.
"Of course, every death is regrettable, especially those of minors. But if I had let Ivan Mordisco's 150 men advance through the jungle, they would have ambushed 20 young soldiers who were stationed just a few kilometers ahead," the leftist president said.
"I made the decision, at a risk, to save their lives. It's easy to stain maps red; it's hard to acknowledge the risks of reclaiming territory," Petro added.
The president has launched a manhunt with million-dollar rewards to capture Mordisco, whom he likens to cocaine baron Pablo Escobar, who was slain in 1993.
Local media reported that authorities were investigating whether the latest strike killed Antonio Medina, a high-ranking rebel commander responsible for a bloody war between ex-FARC fighters and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group.
- Pressure from US -
Colombia's president has been facing pre-election criticism and US sanctions for his alleged reluctance to target armed cocaine-trafficking groups.
In October, Washington slapped unprecedented sanctions on Petro, his wife, son, and a top aide, accusing them of enabling drug cartels.
The US government provided no evidence linking Petro directly to drug trafficking.
Since taking power in 2022, Petro, himself a former guerrilla, had previously opted to engage well-armed cocaine-producing groups in talks, rather than conduct open warfare.
He is constitutionally barred from running for president again, but the criticism risks damaging his political allies during next year's elections.
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