U.S. Attacks Alleged Drug Boat, Killing 2 And Leaving 6 Survivors In Eastern Pacific
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military launched a new attack Thursday on a boat accused of drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific Ocean; Two people died at the time of the incident and six people survived. ongoing campaign Against alleged human traffickers in Latin America.
The latest attack, which now numbers more than 60, brings to more than 210 people the number of people killed in U.S. military boat attacks since the Trump administration began targeting what it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.
It is unclear whether the survivors of this attack were rescued. In this case and in the attack on June 16, in which two people survived, the US Central Command said that they notified the US Coast Guard. The US Coast Guard said they suspended their search for survivors for the June 16 attack a day later, saying “there was no sign of survivors or debris” but did not comment on the current attack.
As with most of the military’s accounts of attacks in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it was targeting alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the ship was carrying drugs.
A black-and-white video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water being hit by a visible projectile and then bursting into flames.
President Donald Trump said the United States was in an “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America. justified the attacks As a necessary strain to stop the flow of drugs into the United States and the fatal overdoses that are claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support his claims that he killed “narcoterrorists.”
Critics of the strike I questioned the general legality and their effectiveness. Part of the argument has been that fentanyl, which is behind many fatal drug overdoses in the United States, is typically trafficked. By land from MexicoIt is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.
US lawmakers on Thursday demanded the Pentagon release “unedited video” of the military’s initial attack after reports emerged that the US chose to launch a follow-up attack on survivors of the initial attack.
The two men on the boat survived the attack, which initially killed nine people, and when the ship was hit again, they clung to the wreckage, killing them. The White House confirmed follow-up strikeHe insisted this was done “in self-defence” and in accordance with the laws of armed conflict to ensure the destruction of the boat.
However Some legal scholars said that A second attack that killed the survivors would have been illegal under all circumstances, armed conflict or not.
The Pentagon watchdog said in May that it planned to investigate whether the US military was following a policy. established targeting framework while carrying out strikes. But the inspector general’s office said the assessment focused specifically on what is known as the six-stage Joint Targeting Cycle, not the legality of the attacks.
