"The Donald Trump administration has insisted their actions are lawful and in compliance with the Law of Armed Conflict, with justification centred around "the United States' inherent right of self-defence as a matter of international law." The occupants targeted in the operation have been designated as "narco-terrorists" or members of "designated terrorist organizations," as a justification for blowing them out of the water-except, to date, no evidence or intelligence to back up those claims has been presented by the US to the public."
"The international community, legal experts, members of Congress, and the United Nations have said the strikes are "illegal extrajudicial killings," as the US military is not allowed to deliberately target civilians-even if they are suspected of criminal activity-who don't pose an immediate or imminent threat of violence to America."
"Prior to Operation Southern Spear's commencement in September 2025, US law enforcement agencies would intercept and arrest suspected drug smugglers, sometimes with Canada's help. Now the US military is executing them-and Canada may again be implicated."
Operation Southern Spear, launched by US Southern Command in September 2025, has resulted in over 150 deaths through airstrikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The Trump administration justifies these strikes as lawful self-defense against designated narco-terrorists, though no public evidence supports these designations. International bodies, legal experts, Congress members, and the UN classify the strikes as illegal extrajudicial killings, arguing the US military cannot deliberately target civilians suspected of criminal activity without imminent threat to American security. This represents a shift from previous law enforcement approaches where suspected drug smugglers were intercepted and arrested. Canadian military personnel are potentially implicated in these operations through integrated US-Canadian military structures.
#operation-southern-spear #extrajudicial-killings #international-law-violations #us-canada-military-cooperation #counter-narcotics-operations
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