Three killed in US military strikes on alleged drug boat; campaign toll reaches 185
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Three killed in US military strikes on alleged drug boat; campaign toll reaches 185")
Screengrab from footage released by SOUTHCOM. Photograph: (X/@Southcom)
Three people were killed after the US military struck an alleged drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific. The operation, part of an ongoing crackdown, has pushed the total death toll to at least 185, with no US personnel harmed.
Three people were killed after the US military struck another alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Sunday (Apr 27). The death toll from drug vessel attacks by American forces has reached 185 with the recent strike. The US Southern Command said that the Joint Task Force Southern Spear “engaged in narco-trafficking operations”. It added that no military forces were harmed.
US SOUTHCOM said that the military conducted a “lethal kinetic strike” in the direction of Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan. It added that intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes. SOUTHCOM also shared the footage of the strike on social media.
“On April 26, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,” SOUTHCOM posted on X while sharing the video.
According to AFP, at least 185 people have been killed in US President Donald Trump’s crackdown against drug trafficking. Earlier on Friday (Apr 25), the US military struck another alleged drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific. Two people were killed in the attack.
US President Donald Trump’s administration began striking alleged drug smuggling vessels last September, claiming that it is effectively at war with “narco-terrorists” operating out of Venezuela.
Despite mounting criticism over the legality of the US military action in the Caribbean and Pacific, the Trump administration has provided no evidence that the vessels are involved in drug trafficking.
On January 3, the US military launched Operation Absolute Resolve, in which they entered Venezuela, bombed Caracas and captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from their presidential palace. Following the operation, Trump has also warned Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba of a possible US military action.
