SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A screengrab of video footage posted by US Southern Command shows a boat in the eastern Pacific just moments before it was bombed by American forces on April 13, 2026.
(Photo: US Southern Command)
'More Murder': Trump Admin Kills Two People in Latest Illegal Boat Bombing
The attack was announced hours after Trump threatened Iranian vessels near the Strait of Hormuz with "the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea."
Apr 14, 2026
The US military on Monday attacked a vessel in the eastern Pacific accused, without evidence, of engaging in "narco-trafficking operations." The strike killed at least two people and brought the known death toll from the Trump administration's lawless boat-bombing spree in international waters to more than 170.
As has been its custom since the boat bombings began last September, US Southern Command posted an unclassified video clip of the attack on social media. SOUTHCOM described the bombing as "a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," but did not provide any evidence against the boat's operators.
Monday's deadly strike came days after the April 11 US bombings of two other boats in the eastern Pacific, attacks that killed at least five people. United Nations experts and human rights organizations have condemned the bombings in international waters as extrajudicial killings and murder—and argued those ordering and carrying out the attacks should be prosecuted for homicide.
"More murder," The Intercept's Nick Turse wrote in response to Monday's boat bombing.
Hours before SOUTHCOM announced the latest strike, Turse reported that the Trump administration is "waging a pressure campaign against the leading inter-American human rights watchdog to squash a potential investigation into illegal US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean."
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser to the US Program at the International Crisis Group, said Monday that it is "funny how the Trump administration is very happy to continue to post snuff films of these lawless killings but not defend the legal merits of these strikes."
Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held a hearing during which experts testified to the illegality of the boat strikes.
“The administration’s desire to play imperial superpower in the region cannot be a reason to completely displace the foundations of international law," Angelo Guisado, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, told the commission.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump threatened to expand his administration's illegal boat-bombing spree to Iranian vessels that "come anywhere close" to the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that the president ordered over the weekend.
Trump wrote on social media that Iranian vessels seen approaching the blockade "will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea."
"It is quick and brutal," the president added.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
The US military on Monday attacked a vessel in the eastern Pacific accused, without evidence, of engaging in "narco-trafficking operations." The strike killed at least two people and brought the known death toll from the Trump administration's lawless boat-bombing spree in international waters to more than 170.
As has been its custom since the boat bombings began last September, US Southern Command posted an unclassified video clip of the attack on social media. SOUTHCOM described the bombing as "a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," but did not provide any evidence against the boat's operators.
Monday's deadly strike came days after the April 11 US bombings of two other boats in the eastern Pacific, attacks that killed at least five people. United Nations experts and human rights organizations have condemned the bombings in international waters as extrajudicial killings and murder—and argued those ordering and carrying out the attacks should be prosecuted for homicide.
"More murder," The Intercept's Nick Turse wrote in response to Monday's boat bombing.
Hours before SOUTHCOM announced the latest strike, Turse reported that the Trump administration is "waging a pressure campaign against the leading inter-American human rights watchdog to squash a potential investigation into illegal US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean."
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser to the US Program at the International Crisis Group, said Monday that it is "funny how the Trump administration is very happy to continue to post snuff films of these lawless killings but not defend the legal merits of these strikes."
Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held a hearing during which experts testified to the illegality of the boat strikes.
“The administration’s desire to play imperial superpower in the region cannot be a reason to completely displace the foundations of international law," Angelo Guisado, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, told the commission.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump threatened to expand his administration's illegal boat-bombing spree to Iranian vessels that "come anywhere close" to the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that the president ordered over the weekend.
Trump wrote on social media that Iranian vessels seen approaching the blockade "will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea."
"It is quick and brutal," the president added.
The US military on Monday attacked a vessel in the eastern Pacific accused, without evidence, of engaging in "narco-trafficking operations." The strike killed at least two people and brought the known death toll from the Trump administration's lawless boat-bombing spree in international waters to more than 170.
As has been its custom since the boat bombings began last September, US Southern Command posted an unclassified video clip of the attack on social media. SOUTHCOM described the bombing as "a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations," but did not provide any evidence against the boat's operators.
Monday's deadly strike came days after the April 11 US bombings of two other boats in the eastern Pacific, attacks that killed at least five people. United Nations experts and human rights organizations have condemned the bombings in international waters as extrajudicial killings and murder—and argued those ordering and carrying out the attacks should be prosecuted for homicide.
"More murder," The Intercept's Nick Turse wrote in response to Monday's boat bombing.
Hours before SOUTHCOM announced the latest strike, Turse reported that the Trump administration is "waging a pressure campaign against the leading inter-American human rights watchdog to squash a potential investigation into illegal US attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean."
Brian Finucane, a senior adviser to the US Program at the International Crisis Group, said Monday that it is "funny how the Trump administration is very happy to continue to post snuff films of these lawless killings but not defend the legal merits of these strikes."
Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held a hearing during which experts testified to the illegality of the boat strikes.
“The administration’s desire to play imperial superpower in the region cannot be a reason to completely displace the foundations of international law," Angelo Guisado, senior staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, told the commission.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump threatened to expand his administration's illegal boat-bombing spree to Iranian vessels that "come anywhere close" to the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz that the president ordered over the weekend.
Trump wrote on social media that Iranian vessels seen approaching the blockade "will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea."
"It is quick and brutal," the president added.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.