US Southern Command strikes vessel in eastern Pacific, killing two in latest narco-trafficking operation
US Southern Command claims the vessel was operated by designated terrorist organisations engaged in narco-trafficking, though no specific evidence was provided to support the assertion.
The US Southern Command has announced that military forces struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean with a missile, resulting in the deaths of two individuals and leaving one survivor. The operation, which took place on Friday, targeted a boat described by officials as being operated by designated terrorist organisations engaged in narco-trafficking. A video released by the command showed the vessel being hit and subsequently bursting into flames.
This incident represents the third attack by US military forces in the eastern Pacific Ocean within the current month. Since the operation targeting narco-traffickers commenced in September, the US claims to have killed more than 170 people, although independent estimates vary. The command stated that intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in such operations, yet the statement offered no specific evidence to substantiate the claim that the operators were terrorists.
Rights groups and international legal experts have consistently condemned these military actions as extrajudicial killings. They argue that even if the individuals on board were involved in drug trafficking, they should face legal prosecution rather than fatal attacks by the military. Many experts have called for the US to be held accountable for these operations, noting the lack of due process in targeting individuals at sea.
Families in Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago have publicly spoken out regarding past incidents, asserting that those targeted were fishermen and informal workers rather than narco-terrorists. They insist that the individuals were making routine journeys between the Caribbean and South America and were not engaged in the violent activities attributed to them by the Trump administration.
No US military personnel were harmed during the operation. The US Southern Command oversees military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America and continues to maintain that the targeted vessel was operating under the direction of designated terrorist organisations, despite the absence of corroborating evidence in their official statements.
