The United States military conducted an operation on Wednesday targeting a vessel suspected of drug smuggling in the Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of two men. This action is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against drug trafficking in Latin America.
This recent strike increases the death toll to at least 207 in attacks on vessels by the US military since the White House initiated its strategy against alleged “narco-terrorists” earlier in September. Similar to previous statements about other attacks in the Pacific and Caribbean Sea, the US Southern Command reported firing at suspected drug traffickers along known smuggling routes, though it did not provide evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs. A video published on X showed a high-speed boat catching fire.
President Trump has claimed that the United States is engaged in an “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels. He has justified the strikes as a necessary escalation to curb the flow of drugs into the United States and reduce the overdose deaths that claim thousands of American lives annually. However, his administration has provided minimal evidence to support its claims of targeting “narco-terrorists.”
Critics have raised concerns about the overall legality and effectiveness of these attacks, partly because fentanyl, responsible for many deadly overdoses, often enters the US via land routes from Mexico. There, it is produced with chemicals sourced from China and India. These attacks have faced intense scrutiny from some Democratic lawmakers and military law experts. The first strike in early September caused particular alarm. Two men on the attacked vessel survived the initial strike, which killed nine others. While clinging to the boat’s remains, a second attack took their lives.
The White House confirmed this follow-up strike, claiming it was conducted “in self-defense” to ensure the vessel’s destruction, in accordance with the laws of armed conflict. Yet, some experts have suggested that a second assault targeting survivors would be illegal under any circumstances, armed conflict or not.
In May, the Pentagon’s oversight body announced plans to investigate whether US forces followed an established target selection framework during these operations. This assessment focuses specifically on the six-phase process known as the Joint Targeting Cycle, not the legality of the attacks, according to the inspector general’s office.
This article was translated from English with the assistance of a generative AI tool by an AP editor.
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