A US military attack on a drug trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific killed one person and left two others stranded at sea. US Southern Command reported that one male narco-terrorist was killed and two survivors remained. The command said it notified the US Coast Guard to activate search and rescue for the survivors. A social media video showed a boat speeding through water before exploding into flames, with no survivors visible. The operation is part of Southern Spear, which has involved dozens of similar strikes since September and has killed at least 194 people, according to an Associated Press tally. The US military alleged the targeted vessel was operated by designated terrorist organizations and was transiting known narco-trafficking routes, without providing evidence. Legal experts and rights groups warned the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings if civilians were targeted without an immediate threat. The Trump administration described armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels and set eliminating cartels in the Western Hemisphere as a top counterterrorism priority.
"A US military attack on what it called a drug trafficking boat in the Eastern Pacific has killed a person and left two others stranded at sea, officials said, in continuation of a pattern that has raised alarm among global rights organisations. One male narco-terrorist was killed during this action and there were two survivors, US Southern Command wrote in a post to X on Tuesday. It added that it immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivors."
"A video posted on social media by the US Southern Command shows a boat speeding through water before exploding into flames. No survivors could be spotted in the video. US President Donald Trump has said that the country is in armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, which it says are responsible for the scourge of fatal drug overdoses plaguing many US communities."
"Dozens of similar strikes have killed at least 194 people since last September, according to an Associated Press tally, in a military operation dubbed Southern Spear. The US military claimed that the targeted vessel was operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations and was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific for drug trafficking. It did not offer more details or any evidence to back the allegation."
"Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes on the boats could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the United States. Earlier this month, the Trump administration noted that the president had signed off on a new counterterrorism strategy that places eliminating drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere as the administration's highest priority."
#us-military-operations #drug-cartels #eastern-pacific #human-rights-concerns #counterterrorism-strategy
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