Three boats targeted in eastern Pacific and Caribbean as Trump continues pursuit of alleged ‘narco-terrorists’
US military officials have said American forces launched assaults on three alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing 11 in one of the deadliest days of the Trump administration’s months-long campaign against alleged traffickers.
The military action on Monday brought the number of fatalities caused by US strikes to 145 since September, when Donald Trump called on American armed forces to attack people deemed “narco-terrorists” on small vessels. There have been 42 known strikes in notorious drug-trafficking routes such as the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, according to the Associated Press reported.
US Southern Command posted video to social media, showing this week’s strikes. Authorities insisted the boats transported drug-trafficking criminals but the video does not appear to provide information confirming this claim.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” US Southern Command said. Officials added that four men were killed on one boat in the eastern Pacific, four on another vessel in the eastern Pacific, and three on a vessel in the Caribbean.
