Venezuela
Colombia
Ecuador
Mexico
Dominican RepublicKey figures
Who is fighting
United States
- US Southern Command (Operation Southern Spear)
- US Navy and Marine Corps (Caribbean and eastern Pacific task forces)
- Joint Special Operations Command (Delta Force, 160th SOAR)
- US Air Force
- CIA and DEA
- Ecuador (joint operations since March 2026)
- Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic (basing and support, reported)
Venezuela (Maduro government, to January 2026)
- Bolivarian National Armed Forces
- Cuban military and security advisers
- Colectivos (pro-government militias)
- Cuba (security personnel)
- Russia and Iran (arms, political support)
Designated trafficking organizations targeted at sea
- Tren de Aragua
- Cartel de los Soles (alleged)
- Los Choneros and Los Lobos (Ecuador)
- Clan del Golfo and Colombian trafficking networks
- Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG logistics
- None
Force sizes are estimates of personnel or fighters, usually from IISS, government statements or specialist reporting; irregular forces are especially hard to count. "(reported)" marks external support that the backer disputes or has not confirmed.
Background
The Trump administration designated Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG, Ecuador's Los Lobos and Los Choneros and other groups as foreign terrorist organizations in 2025 and declared itself in a 'non-international armed conflict' with them. On 2 September 2025 a US strike destroyed a boat from Venezuela's Sucre state, killing 11 alleged Tren de Aragua members; a US naval build-up of about 15,000 troops followed, and strikes extended to the eastern Pacific off Colombia and Ecuador from 21 October 2025. By December 2025 35 strikes had killed 123 people; survivors were sometimes left at sea, and a follow-up strike on survivors of the first attack drew particular criticism.
On 3 January 2026 some 150 US aircraft struck Venezuelan air defences while Delta Force and the 160th SOAR seized Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores from Caracas and flew them to New York to face narco-terrorism charges (trial set for June 2027). Venezuela's military lists 23 soldiers killed (independent counts 42–47), Cuba acknowledged 32 dead, and two civilians died. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president on 5 January; the US re-established diplomatic relations in March, lifted oil sanctions and, according to US reporting, took effective control of Venezuela's finances and oil revenue through an August 2026 agreement giving US companies majority stakes in major fields. An amnesty released hundreds of political prisoners, but no election date has been set and opposition leader María Corina Machado has been prevented from returning.
Boat strikes continued through 2026 (e.g. six killed in the eastern Pacific on 9 March; four killed in the Caribbean on 19 September and 4 October), with some non-lethal interdictions handing crews to Ecuador. On 12 June 2026 a US air strike coordinated with Venezuelan authorities killed Tren de Aragua leader Héctor 'Niño Guerrero' Guerrero Flores. US forces began joint operations in Ecuador in March 2026. Legal scholars, UN experts and the ICJ have described the Venezuela operation as a violation of the UN Charter; the administration cites the president's constitutional authority. This entry covers US military action; Venezuela's internal political crisis and the Caribbean drug trade are not themselves tracked as armed conflicts here.
Recent developments
- 15 October 2026Maduro and Flores plead not guilty to new charges over alleged orders to torture Americans; Treasury lifts sanctions on National Assembly head Jorge Rodríguez (14 Oct). source ↗
- 9 October 2026María Corina Machado calls for new elections and transparency on US oil sales; rallies on 27 September demanded her safe return. source ↗
- 4 October 2026US strike on a 'go-fast' boat in the Caribbean kills four; Southcom offers no evidence of drugs. source ↗
- 19 September 2026Caribbean strike kills four; on 15–16 September US personnel seize crews of alleged Los Choneros refuelling boats in the Pacific and hand them to Ecuador. source ↗
- 28 August 2026Trump announces an oil deal with the Rodríguez government; US Marines begin boarding and sinking suspected narco-refuellers off Ecuador. source ↗
- 24 June 2026Twin earthquakes near Caracas kill thousands and leave 7.9 million Venezuelans needing aid, compounding the political crisis. source ↗
- 12 June 2026US air strike in Venezuela kills Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero, in coordination with Venezuelan authorities. source ↗
Timeline
- 20 February 2025US designates Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa Cartel, CJNG and other groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
- 2 September 2025First US strike on a boat from Venezuela's Sucre state kills 11; a naval build-up of about 15,000 troops follows.
- 21 October 2025Strikes extend to the eastern Pacific; by 31 December, 35 strikes have killed 123 people.
- 3 January 2026Operation Absolute Resolve: US strikes across northern Venezuela and a raid on Caracas capture Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores; about 80 killed.
- 5 January 2026Delcy Rodríguez sworn in as acting president; amnesty law (February) frees hundreds of political prisoners.
- 5 March 2026US re-establishes diplomatic relations with Venezuela and recognises the Rodríguez government; US–Ecuador joint operations begin 3 March.
- 12 June 2026US air strike coordinated with Venezuelan authorities kills Tren de Aragua leader 'Niño Guerrero'.
- 28 August 2026US–Venezuela oil agreement gives US companies majority control of major fields; critics call it a takeover of national resources.
- 4 October 202679th boat strike kills four in the Caribbean; cumulative toll 238.
Casualties and displacement in detail
| Measure | Low | High | What the figure covers · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total killed (cumulative) | 316 | 322 | 238 killed in 79 boat strikes (2 Sept 2025–4 Oct 2026, InSight Crime) plus the 3 Jan 2026 Caracas raid: 77 identified by El Pitazo (43 Venezuelan soldiers, 32 Cubans, 2 civilians) to about 83 using the defence minister's figure of 47 soldiers; plus Niño Guerrero and any others killed in the 12 June 2026 strike (number not published). insightcrime.org ↗ |
| Combatants killed | 55 | 79 | Venezuelan soldiers killed 3 Jan 2026: 23 (official list) to 47 (defence minister); plus 32 Cuban military/security personnel. Seven US soldiers were injured; no US deaths reported. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Civilians killed | 2 | 240 | Two civilians confirmed killed in Caracas. The status of the 238 people killed at sea is contested: the US calls them narco-terrorists; no evidence has been published and families and foreign governments say some were fishermen. insightcrime.org ↗ |
| Wounded | 7 | – | Seven US soldiers injured on 3 Jan 2026; Venezuelan wounded not published; several boat-strike survivors were rescued or left at sea. en.wikipedia.org ↗ |
| Deaths in the last 12 months | 190 | 200 | Boat-strike deaths after 19 Oct 2025 (238 total minus roughly 40–50 killed in strikes before mid-October 2025; InSight Crime lists 123 killed by end-2025, of which most were after mid-October) plus about 77–83 killed on 3 Jan 2026 and the June 2026 strike; approximate. insightcrime.org ↗ |
| Internally displaced | – | – | Not applicable. |
| Refugees abroad | – | – | Not applicable to the military campaign; Venezuela's pre-existing 7.9 million migrants and refugees are a separate humanitarian issue. cfr.org ↗ |
Intensity classification: InSight Crime tracker: 79 US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels killing 238 people between 2 Sept 2025 and 4 Oct 2026, plus about 77–83 killed in the 3 January 2026 raid on Caracas (23–47 Venezuelan soldiers, 32 Cubans, 2 civilians) and the June 2026 air strike that killed Tren de Aragua leader 'Niño Guerrero'. The campaign is treated by Washington as an armed conflict with cartels; most governments and legal experts dispute that framing..
Countries affected
Frequently asked questions
Who is fighting in the United States campaign against alleged drug traffickers and intervention in Venezuela (Operation Southern Spear)?
United States (US Southern Command (Operation Southern Spear), US Navy and Marine Corps (Caribbean and eastern Pacific task forces), Joint Special Operations Command (Delta Force, 160th SOAR), US Air Force, …), supported by Ecuador (joint operations since March 2026), Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic (basing and support, reported); against Venezuela (Maduro government, to January 2026) (Bolivarian National Armed Forces, Cuban military and security advisers, Colectivos (pro-government militias)), supported by Cuba (security personnel), Russia and Iran (arms, political support); against Designated trafficking organizations targeted at sea (Tren de Aragua, Cartel de los Soles (alleged), Los Choneros and Los Lobos (Ecuador), Clan del Golfo and Colombian trafficking networks, …), supported by None.
How many people have been killed?
Estimates range from 316–322 killed as of 5 October 2026. 238 killed in 79 boat strikes (2 Sept 2025–4 Oct 2026, InSight Crime) plus the 3 Jan 2026 Caracas raid: 77 identified by El Pitazo (43 Venezuelan soldiers, 32 Cubans, 2 civilians) to about 83 using the defence minister's figure of 47 soldiers; plus Niño Guerrero and any others killed in the 12 June 2026 strike (number not published). Civilian deaths are put at 2–240. Figures come from the sources listed on this page and differ in method; see the caveats above.
Is the United States campaign against alleged drug traffickers and intervention in Venezuela (Operation Southern Spear) still ongoing in 2026?
Status as of 19 October 2026: Active fighting — Since September 2025 the US military has been striking small boats it says carry drugs for cartels designated as terrorist organizations, first in the Caribbean and from October 2025 in the eastern Pacific, killing 238 people in 79 strikes by October 2026 without presenting evidence or taking prisoners in most cases. The campaign culminated on 3 January 2026 in Operation Absolute Resolve, a US air and special-forces assault on Caracas that captured President Nicolás Maduro, killed about 80 Venezuelan and Cuban personnel and installed Delcy Rodríguez as acting president under heavy US tutelage. Boat strikes continue roughly weekly in 2026, a US air strike in Venezuela killed the Tren de Aragua leader in June, and US forces now operate jointly with Ecuador; the conflict's legality is contested at the UN and in Congress.
When did it start?
The current phase began on 2 September 2025, but the underlying conflict dates back to 2019 — 1 year, 1 month ago.
Sources
- InSight Crime — timeline of US strikes against alleged drug boats insightcrime.org
- CFR Global Conflict Tracker — US confrontation with Venezuela cfr.org
- Wikipedia — 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela en.wikipedia.org
- Congressional Research Service — US capture of Nicolás Maduro congress.gov
- House of Commons Library — The US capture of Nicolás Maduro commonslibrary.parliament.uk
- NPR — What to know about US strikes on alleged drug boats (June 2026) npr.org
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