The United States military has conducted fresh strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels, resulting in three fatalities and leaving others to jump overboard, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Details of the Latest Strikes
According to a statement from US Southern Command, which is responsible for operations in South America, the attacks targeted three boats on Tuesday. The military alleges the vessels were operating as a convoy along known narco-trafficking routes and had transferred narcotics between them prior to the strikes. Three individuals were killed when the first boat was hit. People aboard the other two vessels reportedly jumped into the water and moved away before those boats were also struck.
The command posted a video on social media showing the boats travelling in an unusually close formation, which they cited as suspicious behaviour. However, no specific evidence to substantiate the drug-smuggling claim was provided in the statement. The precise location of the attacks was not disclosed, though previous operations have occurred in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Search, Rescue, and Political Scrutiny
Following the strikes, Southern Command stated it immediately notified the US Coast Guard to initiate search and rescue efforts for those who went overboard. The statement did not confirm whether any survivors were rescued.
This call for Coast Guard assistance is notable, as the US military faced heavy scrutiny after an incident in early September. In that event, US forces conducted a follow-up strike on a disabled boat, killing survivors of an initial attack. The action sparked a fierce legal and political debate, with some Democratic lawmakers and legal experts calling it a crime, while the Trump administration and some Republicans defended its legality.
A Broader Escalation Against Cartels
These latest strikes are part of a significant escalation in US policy. According to numbers released by the Trump administration, the total known boat strikes now stand at 33, with at least 110 people killed since early September. President Donald Trump has justified the aggressive campaign as a necessary measure to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, asserting the nation is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels.
The military pressure extends beyond interdiction at sea. The administration has also built up military forces in the region as part of a pressure campaign targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces US charges of narco-terrorism. In a related and significant development, the CIA was reportedly behind a drone strike last week on a docking area in Venezuela believed to be used by drug cartels. This marks the first known direct US operation on Venezuelan soil since the strikes began in September.
