Are the deadly US strikes on suspected drug vessels legal?

US strikes against suspected drug vessels in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean have killed dozens of people the Trump administration says are drug trafficking terrorists responsible for thousands of deaths in the US.

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Human rights groups condemned the strikes as murder and a stark break with the tradition of protecting civilians from lethal force.

Below is a look at the legal authority for the strikes.

WHAT IS THE U.S. DOING?

The US military has conducted at least 13 deadly strikes against suspected drug vessels that have killed about 57 people from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, according to US officials.

The strikes dramatically depart from the traditional approach of using the US Coast Guard to intercept maritime drug shipments and prosecute traffickers in court, which the Trump administration said was a failure.

The administration designated the trafficking groups as terrorist organisations, and has alleged that the Tren de Aragua gang is controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which Caracas denies.

Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have condemned the strikes as illegal, extrajudicial killings of civilians.

Families of presumed victims have denied their relatives were connected to drug trafficking.

WHAT DOES THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION SAY?

Under the US Constitution, the power to declare war belongs to Congress. However, the administration said US President Donald Trump is using his constitutional role as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and his authority to conduct foreign relations in carrying out the strikes.