Key Facts

• Since September, the U.S. military carried out at least 68 strikes on vessels outside U.S. waters in the Caribbean and Pacific.
• These strikes killed more than 220 people.
• The UN Special Rapporteur Ben Saul states these attacks may be illegal under international law and could be considered crimes against humanity.
• The strikes were part of "Operation Southern Spear," aimed at stopping drug trafficking and "narco-terrorists."
• The U.S. military has not provided clear proof that the targeted vessels were involved in drug trafficking.
• The report says the attacks were not justified as self-defense or under international humanitarian or maritime law.
• Latin American leaders have criticized these strikes, and some have changed after U.S.-backed candidates came to power.
• The U.S. military confirmed killing four people in a recent strike on a drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean.