U.S. Military Strikes Drug-Smuggling Boat in Eastern Pacific, Killing Three

The U.S. military conducted another strike on a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Saturday, resulting in the deaths of three men. This marks the fourth such attack this week, bringing the total death toll to 205. U.S. Southern Command announced the latest strike, maintaining its stance that the vessel was involved in narco-trafficking operations conducted by a designated terrorist organization. However, no direct evidence was provided to support this claim.

This attack is part of a prolonged campaign against alleged drug-smuggling boats operating in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. A video released by the military depicts a small vessel moving through the ocean before being hit and engulfed in flames.

These strikes have been ongoing since early September, with others reported earlier in the week. The death toll increased slightly as some individuals initially reported as survivors are now unaccounted for.

The Trump administration has declared an armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, claiming they are responsible for the influx of drugs into the United States. According to U.S. Southern Command, this latest strike was directed by Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the top U.S. commander in Latin America. Donovan met with Cuban military leaders on Friday near the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay.

The strikes’ legality is under scrutiny from experts. The White House acknowledged a Washington Post report about a follow-on strike conducted on September 2, which reportedly killed two survivors of an initial strike. Some lawmakers question whether this action amounts to a war crime. So far, only three individuals are confirmed to have survived the strikes and been rescued.

In October, two people were rescued from a supposed “narco sub” carrying drugs and later returned to their home countries, Ecuador and Colombia. In March, the U.S. Coast Guard found a survivor from a strike that killed two others and handed him over to Costa Rican authorities.

Earlier this year, the families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. missile strike filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They argue that the “premeditated and intentional killings lack any plausible legal justification.”