The US military struck a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday that it said was being used to smuggle drugs. According to the US Southern Command, one person was killed and two others survived the attack.
This operation is part of a broader campaign undertaken by the Trump administration against “narco-terrorists” who use sea routes in Latin America to smuggle drugs.Sharing details of the operation onAccording to the command, “one of the drug terrorists was killed during this operation, and two males survived.”A video posted showed a boat traveling across open water before it collided with it and burst into flames.
This latest attack brings the number of people killed in US military boat strikes to at least 208 since the Trump administration began targeting what it describes as “narco-terrorists” in September.Southern Command said it “immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for survivors.”
No American military forces were harmed.The Associated Press reported that, as with previous military statements on operations in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, Southern Command said it targeted suspected traffickers operating along known smuggling routes. However, the military did not provide evidence that the ship was carrying drugs at the time of the raid.This operation comes at a time when the US President continues to portray the battle against Latin American gangs as an “armed conflict.”
Trump said military action is necessary to stop the flow of drugs into the United States and reduce deaths due to overdoses.However, the AP noted that the administration provided limited public evidence to support its claims that those killed in the strikes were “narco-terrorists.”The campaign has also faced increasing criticism from lawmakers and legal experts. Critics have questioned the legitimacy and effectiveness of the strikes, saying the fentanyl responsible for many overdose deaths in the United States is primarily smuggled overland through Mexico, where it is manufactured using chemicals imported from China and India.The AP also recalled the controversy surrounding one of the first strikes in September. Two men initially survived an attack that killed nine others, and were reportedly clinging to the wreckage when the ship struck again, killing them.The White House later defended the subsequent strike, saying it was carried out in “self-defense” to ensure the ship was destroyed and complied with the laws of armed conflict. However, some legal scholars, cited by the Associated Press, said a second strike on survivors was illegal regardless of whether there was an armed conflict or not.The audit led to a formal review. The Pentagon’s oversight body announced in May that it would examine whether the military followed the specified targeting framework when carrying out the strikes. The review will assess adherence to the six-stage common targeting cycle, although the watchdog has made clear it will not assess the legality of the operations themselves.
