Washington– The US military’s latest raid on an alleged drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean left two men dead on Friday while one survived.
A video posted on social media by US Southern Command shows a black boat-shaped image before what appears to be an explosion, followed by a column of fire rising from the ocean.
Southern Command said it “immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivor.”
The White House announced Wednesday that President Donald Trump had signed the agreement The new American strategy to combat terrorism Which places the elimination of drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere the administration’s top priority.
The Trump administration’s campaign to bomb alleged drug-trafficking ships in Latin American waters, including the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, has exacerbated the problem. Ongoing since early September At least 193 people were killed in total. The military provided no evidence that any of the ships were carrying drugs. the Strikes escalated again In recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Trump did He sought to put pressure on regional leaders To work more closely with the United States to target cartels and take military action against drug traffickers and transnational gangs that he says pose an “unacceptable threat” to national security in the hemisphere.
Meanwhile, so did the critics He questioned the overall legitimacy From boat strikes.