Washington, DC – The US military command for Latin America and the Caribbean (SOUTHCOM) announced a new airstrike targeting a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The strike resulted in the deaths of three people aboard the vessel.
This operation is part of the controversial military campaign led by President Donald Trump’s administration against international drug trafficking networks.
According to a statement released by Southcom on Sunday, April 26, the targeted vessel was “operated by designated terrorist organizations.” The statement also indicated that intelligence reports confirmed the ship’s use of shipping lanes known for drug trafficking.
With this latest attack, the death toll in the campaign, which began last September, has risen to at least 185, according to AFP figures.
As is customary, the US military released a video of the raid showing the ship completely destroyed by a massive explosion filmed from the air.
Despite this footage, the Trump administration is facing sharp criticism for failing to provide “conclusive evidence” proving the targeted vessels’ involvement in actual smuggling operations. Military statements merely describe the operations as targeting criminal organizations without presenting any seizures or documents to support this claim.
Within the United States, there is a division in political circles regarding the legitimacy of this campaign. While supporters of the administration see it as a decisive means of protecting national security from the flow of toxins, opponents see it as setting a dangerous precedent in the use of military force against alleged civilian targets in territorial waters.
