US military says it struck vessel in eastern Pacific, killing two people | US military
The US military said Friday that two people were killed in an attack on a ship in the eastern Pacific.
“Intelligence confirmed that the ship was transiting known drug smuggling routes in the Eastern Pacific and was involved in drug smuggling operations,” U.S. Southern Command said. expression.
Friday’s strike was the first known attack since Trump ordered the US military to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
The statement stated that “two narco-terrorists were killed” and that the search for a survivor continued. A video accompanying the post shows a boat moving through the water before bursting into flames.
The US military has carried out more than 30 attacks on boats it claims were smuggling drugs in South American waters since the beginning of September. According to the Associated Press, based on information received from the Trump administration, more than 100 people lost their lives in these attacks.
The US military has recently focused on seizing sanctioned oil tankers with ties to Venezuela, following a surprise raid to capture Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Last week, US forces in the Caribbean Sea seized an oil tanker that Trump said had ties to Venezuela.
After ousting Maduro, the Trump administration moved to control the global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products. Trump has since announced a deal with Venezuela’s interim leaders that he said would provide the United States with up to 50 million barrels of crude oil. He also signed an executive order to “safeguard” Venezuelan oil revenues in U.S.-controlled accounts.
The last boat attacks occurred in late December; The army said that five boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling were hit in two days, killing a total of eight people and others jumping into the sea. Days later, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search.
Reuters contributed reporting
