Two killed in US strike on another alleged drug boat in Pacific as campaign’s death toll nears 200 | US military
The U.S. military attacked what it called a drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing two people, officials said.
It was the second deadly attack in as many days among the Trump administration’s attacks that began last September and have now killed nearly 200 people. Human rights groups say the attacks could amount to extrajudicial executions.
The US southern command claimed in X that this latest attack targeted a boat involved in drug smuggling and traveling along a known smuggling route.
The statement said, “During this action, 2 male narco-terrorists were killed.”
The attack followed dozens of similar attacks in recent months and brought the death toll in the US campaign to at least 195, according to an AFP news agency tally.
Southern command said two people survived Tuesday’s attack and were stranded in the water, prompting the US Coast Guard to launch a rescue operation.
The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to requests for information about this and other rescue efforts.
Grainy black and white video I accompany the newest article It showed the boat before the attack, followed by a massive explosion, followed by flaming wreckage in the water.
The US military launched operation “Southern Spear” in early September as President Donald Trump insisted the US was effectively at war with drug cartels operating outside Latin America.
But his administration has not provided conclusive evidence that the ships it hit were involved in drug smuggling.
Legal experts and human rights groups say the attacks could amount to extrajudicial killings because they targeted civilians who did not pose an immediate threat to the United States.
