The U.S. military announced a strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Saturday. This action is part of ongoing efforts to address alleged drug smuggling operations. Officials reported that three men were killed in this most recent operation.
This marks the fourth such attack in a week, raising the total death toll to 205 since the campaign began earlier in September. U.S. Southern Command stated that the boat was involved in narco-trafficking operations, operated by a group tagged as a terrorist organization. However, they did not present evidence for these assertions.
Footage shared on social media revealed a small vessel moving through the ocean before it was hit and enveloped in flames. The previous week saw additional strikes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Some people initially reported as survivors in these incidents have not been found.
The Trump administration has described its stance against Latin American drug cartels as an armed conflict, citing the impact of illegal drugs entering American communities. Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the leading U.S. commander in Latin America, ordered this recent strike. Recently, Donovan also met with Cuban military leaders near Guantanamo Bay.
The legality of these military actions has faced scrutiny. After a strike on September 2, a follow-on attack killed two survivors, leading some lawmakers to question if it amounted to a war crime. To date, three individuals are confirmed to have survived these boat strikes and were later rescued. Two were returned to Ecuador and Colombia, while another survivor was transferred to Costa Rican authorities.
Earlier in the year, the families of two Trinidadian men, killed in a missile strike in the Caribbean, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. They argued that these killings lacked any justifiable legal premise.