The death toll from U.S. military operations targeting suspected drug-trafficking boats has risen to more than 200 after a new strike on Friday killed three men aboard a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The operation marked the third such strike this week.
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The U.S. Southern Command announced the latest strike as part of an ongoing months-long campaign against boats that Washington says are used to smuggle drugs through the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. The command stated that the vessel "was involved in drug-trafficking activities and operated by a designated terrorist organization," but provided no evidence to support the claim.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. military social media posts typically include footage of these attacks. However, the latest video appears to be the first released in color rather than black and white.
The footage showed a small boat traveling across the ocean before being struck and engulfed in flames. The vessel was later seen burning, while what appeared to be bodies floated in the surrounding waters.
The series of U.S. strikes began in early September. The administration of President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, which it blames for the flow of narcotics into American communities.
The Trump administration has not provided evidence that the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking.
The attacks have been condemned by experts and United Nations officials, who have described them as extrajudicial killings.
Agencies
