US military strike on vessel in eastern Pacific kills two people, leaving one survivor

"The US military on Friday said it struck a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people and leaving one survivor in the latest attack on boats suspected of transporting narcotics. This brings the death toll from strikes on such vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific to more than 190 people since September. A video posted by the US Southern Command shows the vessel traveling through the water being hit by what appears to be a missile. The screen momentarily goes black and then shows the boat engulfed in flames."

"The Southern Command said, the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. It said the two people killed were men and that it notified the US Coast Guard to start a search and rescue for the sole survivor. No further details were divulged. The military has attacked multiple alleged drug-running boats in the eastern Pacific in recent weeks, including a strike on Tuesday that killed three people."

"According to a tally by the Intercept, there have now been 58 such boat strikes since September amounting to a death toll of 193 people with four survivors. The legality of these boat strikes is under scrutiny, with legal experts saying the attacks amount to unlawful extrajudicial killings by the Pentagon with a complete lack of accountability. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have condemned the strikes."

"The Pentagon has framed its operations in the region as a campaign against narco-terrorism, but has provided scant evidence of coordinated drug-smuggling rings."

A US military strike in the eastern Pacific killed two people and left one survivor aboard a vessel suspected of narcotics trafficking. A video from US Southern Command shows the vessel traveling and being hit by what appears to be a missile, followed by flames. The command said the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations, and it notified the US Coast Guard to conduct search and rescue for the sole survivor. Recent weeks included additional strikes in the eastern Pacific, including one that killed three people. Reported totals from September show dozens of boat strikes and a high death toll, while legal experts and human rights groups criticize the legality and accountability of the operations. The Pentagon frames the campaign as narco-terrorism action but has provided limited evidence of coordinated smuggling networks.

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