US Forces Kill Five in Strikes on Suspected Drug-Smuggling Boats
Five people were killed after US forces struck two boats they allege were carrying drugs on Wednesday. US Southern Command did not specify where the strikes occurred; however, operations have targeted vessels suspected of narcotics smuggling to the Caribbean and eastern Pacific for about three months.
The strike followed a day after the US targeted a convoy of three narco-trafficking vessels, killing at least three people. Since the first attack on a boat in international waters on 2 September, there have been more than 30 strikes on vessels as part of the war on drugs, resulting in more than 110 people killed. The first attack included a second strike that killed two survivors from the initial strike.
Regarding the December 30 convoy strike, Southern Command said there were survivors but did not specify how many; Reuters reported eight survivors being searched for but not yet found. The US has not publicly provided evidence that the targeted boats carried drugs. Southern Command states that intelligence confirms the vessels were transiting known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narcotics trafficking.
The Trump administration frames these operations as a non-international armed conflict, though legal experts warn they could violate applicable laws.
