An attack by the US military on a ship suspected of drug smuggling in the Pacific Ocean claimed three lives. Both the death toll and doubts about the US evidence are growing.
The Southern Command of the US Armed Forces (SOUTHCOM) reported on social networks about an attack on a ship suspected of transporting drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Three people were killed, writes TASR according to the report of the AP agency.
The US government’s campaign to destroy vessels allegedly involved in drug trafficking in Latin American waters has claimed 186 lives since early September. Others died in such operations in the Caribbean Sea. However, the US military did not provide evidence that drugs were actually on the ships, AP reported.
After Sunday’s attack, SOUTHCOM released a video on Platform X showing the ship and then the explosion. It repeated earlier statements that it was targeting alleged drug traffickers on known smuggling routes.
The attacks came as the US began building a larger military presence in the region and preceded a January crackdown in Venezuela in which US special forces detained President Nicolás Maduro. He is currently facing drug-trafficking and weapons-possession charges in a New York court, charges Maduro denies.
Trump’s offensive
US President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America. According to him, the strikes are a necessary escalation in order to stop the transportation of drugs to Washington. However, AP reminds that critics question the legality of these actions of the American government.
