U.S. Military in Latin America and the Caribbean

In September 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a campaign of military strikes on supposed “narco-terrorists” in small boats, initially in the Caribbean Sea and later in the Pacific. Accusing those on the boats of smuggling drugs bound for the United States, the campaign marked a significant shift in U.S. policy – with the United Nations claiming the attacks violate international law.

Airwars is tracking all publicly declared actions by the U.S. and presenting an interactive total of these incidents. Each incident will then be independently researched by Airwars’ civilian casualty assessment team. When declared strikes have been fully researched, these incidents will appear on the page below. Our full methodology note can be read online here.

Start Date

End Date

Strike Type

Causes of Death / Injury

Strike Status

Civilian Harm Status

Actor Assessment

Casualty

Infrastructure

Search

67 incidents

Incident Date

19 September 2026

Preliminary Code

USMAR260919a

Location

Caribbean Sea

Summary

Deaths Declared
4
Target Description
Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking.
Location Description
go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.
Media Link
Actor
U.S. Forces

Incident Date

9 September 2026

Preliminary Code

USMAR260909a

Location

Caribbean Sea

Summary

Deaths Declared
3
Target Description
Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking.
Location Description
go-fast vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean
Media Link
Actor
U.S. Forces

Incident Date

25 August 2026

Incident Code

USMAR260825a

Location

Caribbean Sea
On August 25, 2026, the United States military carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel, reportedly killing four people described as “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean. The strike was announced by U.S. Southern Command on August 25th. On Twitter/X, the statement detailed that “under Gen. Donovan’s direction” the strike was on a "go-fast" vessel …

Summary

Published
26 August 2026
Strike Type
Airstrike
Infrastructure
Vehicle, Boat
Estimated fatalities
4
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

23 August 2026

Incident Code

USMAR260823a

Location

Eastern Pacific, Pacific Ocean
On August 23, 2026, the United States military carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel, reportedly killing two people described as “narco-terrorists” in the Eastern Pacific. The strike was announced by U.S. Southern Command on Twitter/X on August 24th. The statement detailed that “under #SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan’s direction” the strike …

Summary

Published
24 August 2026
Strike Type
Airstrike
Infrastructure
Vehicle, Boat
Estimated fatalities
2
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Actor
US, U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

21 June 2026

Incident Code

USMAR260621a

Location

Caribbean
On June 21, 2026, the United States military carried out a kinetic strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea allegedly affiliated with “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” reportedly killing two men described as “narco-terrorists.” Six other people described as “narco-terrorists” survived the strike but were not reported as found during search and rescue operations. The strike …

Summary

Published
26 June 2026
Strike Type
Airstrike
Infrastructure
Vehicle, Boat
Estimated fatalities
2 – 8
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident

Incident Date

18 June 2026

Incident Code

USMAR260618a

Location

Eastern Pacific, Pacific Ocean
On June 18, 2026, the United States military carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel allegedly operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations,” reportedly killing three men described as “narco-terrorists” in the Eastern Pacific. The strike was announced by U.S. Southern Command in a press release on June 18th. The statement detailed that “at the …

Summary

Published
24 June 2026
Strike Type
Airstrike
Infrastructure
Vehicle, Boat
Estimated fatalities
3
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Actor
U.S. Forces
View Incident