The US military again attacked a ship allegedly involved in drug smuggling, six people were killed. Critics question the legality of the action and the entire campaign.
Six people were killed in the latest attack by the US military on a ship allegedly carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced. TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
That attack took place on Sunday and targeted a vessel that SOUTHCOM said was operated by a terrorist organization.
“Intelligence has confirmed that the vessel was navigating known drug smuggling routes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and was involved in drug smuggling,” the command said.
Six people were killed in the attack, which SOUTHCOM described as “narco-terrorists” in a statement. American military forces suffered no casualties.
Critics question the operation
The military attacked as part of Operation Southern Spear, aimed at combating drug trafficking, which the administration of US President Donald Trump announced in September last year. Since then, it has carried out attacks on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean region, describing these ships as drug smugglers, but has not yet presented any clear evidence to support its claim. Critics therefore question the legality of the interventions.
Since the beginning of the operation, the US armed forces have intervened against 46 vessels – 32 in the Pacific Ocean and 14 in the Caribbean. 157 people died in the attacks.
