Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Sep 20: The US military carried out a strike on a vessel operating along alleged drug-trafficking routes in the Caribbean on Saturday, killing four people, according to the US Southern Command.

The command said the operation was conducted on September 19 under the direction of US Southern Command by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere.

“Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” the command said, describing those killed as “narco-terrorists.”

The US military said the strike was part of an ongoing campaign targeting groups and individuals involved in what the Trump administration describes as narco-terrorism.

Saturday’s operation came 10 days after another US strike in the Caribbean that reportedly killed three people.

According to the US military, strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since the campaign began last year have killed more than 220 people.

Rights groups have criticised the campaign, describing the attacks as extrajudicial killings.