United States Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, has warned that the International Criminal Court could investigate US military actions in Latin America.
This includes strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean decried by rights groups as extrajudicial killings.
According to Al Jazeera, Mr Hegseth made the statement during a speech in Panama as he pledged to strengthen a military coalition launched in March with several Latin American countries to target drug cartels.
He said Colombia is set to become the 19th country to join the Shield of the Americas, also known as the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition or “A triple C”.
He also reportedly called on all members of the coalition to reject the ICC, claiming “the international left, along with their enabling left-wing media, is plotting to unlawfully assert International Criminal Court jurisdiction over US and partner military personnel and operations”.
He insisted that efforts are “100% lawful under the laws of armed conflict”, despite the view of many prominent rights experts and organisations who have decried US strikes on alleged drug smugglers as blatant violations of international law.
A report published by the Washington Office on Latin America in July said at least 221 people had been killed in the US strikes since September 2025.
