US military forces conducted a strike targeting suspected drug traffickers in the Eastern Pacific on Friday, resulting in the deaths of three individuals, as reported by the military. The US Southern Command shared that “Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a deadly kinetic strike on a vessel associated with Designated Terrorist Organizations” along a suspected narco-trafficking route, resulting in the deaths of three male narco-terrorists.
A video accompanying the announcement depicted the strike in black and white, showcasing an aerial perspective of a boat being bombed and consumed by flames. Since early September, the United States has been actively pursuing alleged smuggling vessels, resulting in close to 150 casualties and the destruction of numerous boats.
During President Donald Trump’s tenure, these targeted strikes have been a recurring tactic, often lacking concrete evidence of illicit activities. Legal experts have raised concerns over the potential classification of these deaths as extrajudicial killings. The administration under Trump has justified these actions as necessary measures to combat drug trafficking, with naval forces stationed off the South American coast, oil tankers seized, and a high-profile operation capturing Venezuela’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro is currently held in US custody, awaiting trial on charges related to drug and weapons offenses, to which he has pleaded not guilty.