Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 12:49am on 12 Nov 2025,Wednesday International
The United Kingdom has suspended intelligence sharing with the United States regarding suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, concerned that information could facilitate unlawful US military strikes. This unprecedented action strains the longstanding alliance between intelligence partners. Britain previously provided vessel location data to Florida's Joint Interagency Task Force South for counter-narcotics operations. However, UK officials grew alarmed after September's US military strikes killed 76 people on boats. London believes these attacks violate international law marking an assessment shared by UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who termed them "extrajudicial killing." The Trump administration justifies targeting suspected traffickers as "enemy combatants" posing "imminent threats." Senior US defense officials, including Admiral Alvin Holsey, have questioned the campaign's legality. Canada has similarly distanced itself from lethal operations.
