US Strike destroys fishing boat near St. Vincent
A deadly United States military strike in Caribbean waters has sent shockwaves across St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after a fishing vessel was obliterated in a missile attack that officials in Washington claim targeted “narco-terrorists.”
Fishermen across the southern Caribbean say they are now afraid to head out to sea.
The explosion reportedly occurred around 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 13, 2026, several miles off the Grenadian island of Canouan. Fishers in Canouan say they both saw and heard the blast.
By 8:37 p.m., the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) confirmed the strike in a Facebook post.
In a statement, SOUTHCOM said:
“On Feb. 13, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed.”
But reports emerging from St. Lucia paint a very different and deeply disturbing picture.
Sources say the men on board were lifelong fishermen — well-known in their communities — who depended on the sea to provide for their families. Three St. Lucians who reportedly left port last Monday have not been seen since.
Watch report from MBC Television St Lucia:
Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre addressed the nation amid growing concern.
“Today, I addressed reports circulating across the region that have raised concern among our citizens,” Pierre said in a Facebook statement. “Let me assure the nation: the Government of St. Lucia is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to verify the facts.”
St Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre
At his weekly pre-Cabinet press conference, the Prime Minister confirmed fatalities but said he had not received official notification regarding the identities or circumstances.
“I can confirm that people lost their lives,” Pierre stated. “But I got no official notification on anything else. The issue is being investigated by the powers responsible for investigations.”
Meanwhile, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines government has remained silent, and police there have issued no public statement.
On Saturday, the St. Vincent Times published photographs of what it said were the charred remains of the destroyed vessel discovered off Canouan. Fishermen who came upon the wreckage reported that the bow was still visible while the engine and much of the hull were submerged. No bodies were seen floating in the area.
The strike has ignited serious questions across the region:
• Was the vessel in international waters?
• Were the men truly involved in drug trafficking?
• Or were Caribbean nationals killed without due process?
International law and human rights experts have repeatedly criticized such actions by the United States, warning that lethal strikes in regional waters may amount to extrajudicial executions — even if those targeted are alleged traffickers.
This is not the first deadly encounter.
Last month, families of two Trinidadian men killed in a separate U.S. strike off Venezuela filed a lawsuit in a Boston federal court. The claim alleges the men were victims of “lawless killings in cold blood.”
According to U.S. officials, at least 36 vessels have been struck in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September last year, resulting in more than 120 deaths. The administration maintains it is targeting “narco-terrorists” trafficking drugs bound for the United States.
But for fishermen in the southern Caribbean, the fear is immediate and personal.
Boats are staying docked. Rumors are spreading. Families are demanding answers.
Prime Minister Pierre urged calm and discipline.
“In matters affecting national security and regional stability, speculation has no place,” he said. “Our approach is disciplined, fact-based, and guided by the singular priority of protecting the people and interests of St. Lucia.”
As investigations continue, one reality is undeniable: a boat is gone, lives are lost, and an entire region is demanding to know — was this justice, or a tragic mistake at sea?
They will keep shooting…Caricom Governments will allow them as long as they can get a few visas for it
How can the US come so close to home and CARICOM mute on that matter. WOW!
If they were criminals, where is the proof? Where is the arrest? Since when is the Caribbean a war zone?
I am a Caribbean national living in the US and what happened in our Caribbean waters is deeply disturbing. Two fishermen were killed. They had names and they had families. No nation, no matter how powerful, should operate in a way that leaves small island states grieving, confused, and demanding answers. Trump should never have the power to traverse in people’s water and treat it as she pleases. The United States cannot expect the region to accept labels like “narco-terrorists” without clear evidence, due process, and direct communication with the governments whose citizens may have been killed. Caribbean nations are sovereign. Our waters are not battlegrounds. It is time for our leaders to stand up but it seems they are all afraid of that ORANGE looking leader. If this was a justified operation, prove it. If there was a mistake, admit it. But silence and vague statements only deepen suspicion and anger. The people of this region deserve respect, clarity, and justice not shockwaves and unanswered questions. Comforting in the middle of this wicked act is realizing that Trump era will still end.
This is frightening. Fishermen already struggling and now they have to worry about being targeted at sea? The US The US The US….OH women are crying over the head of the president…
What are Human Rights and the United Nations saying about this incident, since our Caribbean leaders are not doing anything? Some Caribbean leaders are more concerned about suing their citizens for what they say on live radio programs than protecting their citizens while at sea working for their livelihood.
Stick to the problem at hand and not who government suing who.
And you are doing the exact thing. discuss the matter at hand and not who suing who. it not all of you all crying for Visa and Green Card.
Even if they are criminals which I’m sure their not who gives the US right to act with such force within our territory. We can’t go to the US and do as we please
Of this happened in the dead of night it still wouldn’t justify what took place. Was there any agreement or notification of a patrol exercise or suspicious activity? Even if they were smuggling drugs, it likely wouldn’t have been en route to the US. And whatever happened to due process, capture, handover to local authority, local arrest and prosecution? But here in broad daylight, doing their livelihood, men are murdered out of the blue and the victims are referred to as “terrorists”! What next? Bombing of a small aircraft for the same vague excuse? Obliteration of an inter-island ferry or small tour boat? Kidnapping of any ordinary citizen who posts their opinion online? Occupation by US military with no explanation?
This is Murder! And Nothing else! Premeditated Planned Murder. Those fishermen had to be observed, targeted and executed in plain sight. Couldn’t and wasn’t an accident. So it was Murder. And at some point in life and time, the person or persons who participated will have to answer to God for it. And they know it. Even if you following others, you know what’s right and what’s wrong.
Be prepared for your judgement and consequence. Watch and see how God works. Time longer than Rope.
So the US can just fire missiles in Caribbean waters and kill people without even notifying our governments properly? We are sovereign nations, not some backyard battlefield!
this is so frightening. fishermen in Antigua need to speak out. it cannot be business as usual
Three men leave to fish and never come back. Now we hear “narco-terrorists”? That label too convenient.
Senseless murder. How can the US continue to murder people for fun
It is really sad and sickening that the U.S has turned our waters into
battle grounds and our CARICOM Citizens are used as practiced targets,we are not stupid people,why label our Citizens as narco-terrorist
Let’s take a moment to reflect on this.
The recent strikes against narco-terrorist operations in Caribbean waters are being carried out by the same government that successfully executed a highly coordinated operation to capture Nicolás Maduro in the middle of the night — reportedly with a small assault force facing hundreds of opposing personnel. That mission employed advanced capabilities that disabled air defenses, radar, and communications systems, allowing the objective to be completed without the loss of aircraft, personnel, or equipment.
Against that backdrop, claims that these targeted vessels are simply “fishing boats” strain credibility. Much of that narrative appears driven by sensationalized media coverage seeking engagement rather than context.
I’m not an expert, but it is reasonable to assume that with the intelligence, surveillance, satellite tracking, and maritime monitoring capabilities available to the United States, these operations are not conducted blindly. Authorities can track vessel movements, identify trafficking routes, analyze patterns of behavior, and build intelligence profiles long before action is taken.
The United States is not randomly targeting fishermen drifting through Caribbean waters. These strikes are presented as part of a broader effort to disrupt organized drug-trafficking networks that fuel addiction, violence, and instability across the region. Supporters argue that the goal is not only to protect Americans from increasingly dangerous narcotics, but also to reduce the influence of transnational criminal organizations affecting Caribbean nations themselves.
Some individuals involved may indeed be fishermen in their ordinary lives. However, if vessels are being used to transport highly addictive and dangerous drugs through or toward our islands, then participation in those operations carries consequences. The objective, as proponents see it, is straightforward: remove the traffickers, reduce access to narcotics, and ultimately save lives.
Whether one agrees with the strategy or not, the intent behind these actions is framed as combating organizations responsible for widespread harm and many believe the region benefits from that effort as well.