US military strikes on three vessels in the eastern Pacific kill eight people, part of an operation that has claimed over 90 lives since September.
WASHINGTON: US military strikes on three alleged narco-trafficking vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed eight people on Monday.
US Southern Command stated intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting known drug routes and engaged in trafficking.
“A total of eight male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions-three in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third,” the command said in a post on X.
The post included video footage showing three separate boats being hit by strikes.
Since early September, the US military has targeted alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
These operations have destroyed at least 26 vessels and killed at least 95 people.
The campaign has involved a major US military buildup in the Caribbean, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier.
US President Donald Trump insists the goal is combatting narco-trafficking.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said he suspects it is a pretext for regime change in Caracas.
A controversial earlier strike killed survivors of an initial attack on a boat.
This has generated accusations of a possible war crime.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has maintained he did not order that second strike, instead attributing it to US Admiral Frank Bradley. – AFP
