Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Mar 9: The United States Armed Forces said it killed six men on Sunday in a strike targeting a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, as part of a wider campaign launched by the administration of Donald Trump against what it calls “narcoterrorists.”
According to the United States Southern Command, the strike targeted individuals believed to be drug traffickers operating along known maritime smuggling routes in the eastern Pacific. The military released a video on the social media platform X (social media platform) showing a small boat floating on the water before being destroyed in the strike. However, officials did not provide evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs.
With the latest attack, the reported death toll from such operations has risen to at least 157 since the U.S. began targeting small vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in early September.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels in Latin America, defending the strikes as a necessary step to curb the flow of narcotics into the country. However, the administration has provided limited evidence to substantiate its claims that those killed were “narcoterrorists.”
During a meeting with Latin American leaders on Saturday, Trump urged regional governments to join the United States in taking military action against drug cartels and transnational gangs, which he described as posing an “unacceptable threat” to regional security.
As part of these efforts, the United States and Ecuador carried out joint military operations in Ecuador earlier this week targeting organised crime groups.
The meeting was also seen as an attempt by Trump to highlight his administration’s focus on the Western Hemisphere, even as tensions with Iran continue to dominate global headlines and affect the wider Middle East region.
However, critics have questioned both the legality and effectiveness of the maritime strikes. Analysts point out that much of the fentanyl responsible for overdose deaths in the U.S. is typically trafficked over land from Mexico, where it is manufactured using chemical ingredients sourced from China and India.
The operations have also drawn strong criticism after reports emerged that survivors of the first such boat strike were later killed in a follow-up attack. While the Trump administration and several Republican lawmakers defended the action as legal and necessary, Democratic leaders and legal experts argued that the killings could amount to murder or even a war crime.