Washington– The US military said it carried out a strike on Wednesday on a boat accused of drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people, as the Trump administration moves forward with its measures. A months-long campaign Against alleged traffickers in Latin America while Waging war against Iran.
This latest attack brings the number of people killed in boat strikes launched by the US military to at least 163 people since the Trump administration began targeting what it calls “narco-terrorists” in early September.
As with most of the military’s statements about dozens of strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, US Southern Command said it targeted alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The army did not provide any evidence that the ship was transporting drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat moving through the water before exploding in a bright explosion.
President Donald Trump said the United States is in “armed conflict” with gangs in Latin America and has already done so Justify the attacks As a necessary escalation to stop the flow of drugs into the United States and the fatal overdoses that claim the lives of Americans. But his administration has provided little evidence to support its claims of killing “narco-terrorists.”
Critics They questioned overall legitimacy of boat strikes as well as their effectiveness, in part because the fentanyl responsible for many fatal overdoses is commonly smuggled into the U.S. On the ground from MexicoIt is produced with chemicals imported from China and India.
Boat strikes in Latin America continued even as the US military focused on operations in the Middle East, where US warships and aircraft were bombarding Iran with strikes and sending in additional Marines as well as additional troops. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division They are either preparing to deploy or on their way to the area.