US Military Conducts Boat Strike in Eastern Pacific, Killing Two People

The US military reported killing two people in a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Monday. The US Southern Command stated the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and was operated by designated terrorist organizations. The two individuals killed were described as male narco-terrorists, with no further details on their identities provided.

The announcement included grainy video footage showing the explosion of the vessel from above. The US Southern Command said no US military forces were harmed in the operation. It described the action as applying total systemic friction on cartels.

Recent Strikes in the Region This strike occurred one day after the military reported another operation in the eastern Pacific that destroyed two boats, killing five people and leaving one survivor.

The US Coast Guard activated a search and rescue system for the survivor. Footage of that explosion was also shared, but no evidence was provided to support claims of drug smuggling. The US Southern Command detailed that intelligence confirmed the vessels in the latest strikes were engaged in narco-trafficking operations.

The post on social media noted the strikes were conducted at the direction of the command's leadership. One strike resulted in two deaths and one survivor, while the second killed three people.

Broader Campaign and Casualties The strikes are part of a campaign against vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that began in early September.

The New York Times reported this as the 49th such action. According to the Associated Press, the military has killed at least 170 people in boat strikes since the campaign started. The US government has faced scrutiny over the operations.

Critics argue the strikes are illegal under US and international law, as they involve killing civilians suspected of crimes. The administration maintains the actions are lawful under rules of war, asserting an armed conflict with traffickers, though legal experts have rejected this rationale.

Legal Challenges In December, a Democratic senator called for the defense secretary to resign over the boat strikes, describing them as unlawful and unauthorized.

In January, civil rights lawyers filed a federal lawsuit against the US government on behalf of families of two men killed in a Caribbean airstrike on October 14. The men were from a fishing village in Trinidad and were returning from Trinidad to Venezuela when struck. The lawsuit stated the killings lacked legal justification and were premeditated murder ordered at high levels of government.

No resolution to the lawsuit was mentioned in available reports. The military's statements on these strikes, including the recent ones, have not provided evidence to support claims of narco-trafficking involvement. This pattern has been noted in dozens of similar announcements from the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea.