WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military executed another strike on a vessel reportedly involved in drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday. This action resulted in the immediate deaths of two individuals, while six survived. The operation is part of an ongoing effort to combat alleged traffickers in Latin America.
The recent strike is among more than 60 such incidents, bringing the death toll from these military actions since the Trump administration’s initiative began to over 210. Initiated in early September, the operation targets individuals referred to by the U.S. as ‘narcoterrorists.’ It’s not clear if the most recent strike’s survivors have been rescued.
Following this incident, and another similar event on June 16 which left two survivors, the U.S. Central Command reported notifying the U.S. Coast Guard. After the June 16 strike, the Coast Guard suspended their search a day later with no signs of survivors or debris. They did not comment on the current incident.
The U.S. Southern Command stated that the targets were along known smuggling routes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. However, no evidence was provided that the vessel in the latest strike was carrying drugs.
President Donald Trump has described the situation as being in ‘armed conflict’ with Latin American cartels. He has justified these military operations as necessary to prevent drugs from entering the United States and to reduce fatal overdoses.
There is criticism regarding both the legality and the efficiency of these strikes, as the Trump administration has not furnished substantive evidence to substantiate claims of attacking ‘narcoterrorists.’ Skeptics point out that many fatal U.S. drug overdoses involve fentanyl, which is typically trafficked overland from Mexico.
On Thursday, U.S. lawmakers called on the Pentagon to release ‘unedited video’ from the first of such strikes. Reports indicated that following an initial attack that left two men alive on wreckage, a follow-up strike was conducted, killing them. The White House confirmed this action, describing it as ‘in self-defense’ and in line with laws governing armed conflict.
Some legal experts argue that a second strike to kill survivors would be illegal, irrespective of whether armed conflict is ongoing. The Pentagon’s oversight body announced in May an intention to review if the military adhered to its targeting procedures during these strikes. Their focus centers on the six-phase Joint Targeting Cycle, not on assessing the strikes’ legality.