The US military attacked a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, resulting in three fatalities. This strike adds to the ongoing campaign by the Trump administration against alleged traffickers in Latin America, bringing the total number of people killed in such strikes to at least 211 since early September.
Details of the Attack
US Southern Command stated that the target was an alleged drug smuggling vessel along known trafficking routes, though no evidence was provided to confirm the presence of drugs. A video posted on social media shows a boat speeding across the water before being struck and erupting into flames.
Trump Administration's Justification
President Donald Trump has characterized the US as being in an "armed conflict" with cartels in Latin America, arguing that these strikes are necessary to curb the flow of drugs into the United States and prevent fatal overdoses. However, the administration has offered scant evidence to support its claims that those killed were "narcoterrorists."
Criticism and Legal Concerns
Critics have questioned the legality and effectiveness of the boat strikes. They note that fentanyl, which drives many overdose deaths, is typically trafficked overland from Mexico, using chemicals imported from China and India. Senators have demanded the Pentagon release "unedited video" of the strikes, which have drawn scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers and military legal scholars.
The first strike in early September killed nine people, with two survivors clinging to wreckage. The US then struck the vessel again, killing them. The White House justified this as "self-defense" to ensure the boat was destroyed, in line with the laws of armed conflict. Legal scholars, however, argue that a second strike killing survivors would be illegal under any circumstances.
The Pentagon's watchdog announced in May that it would investigate whether the military followed the six-phase joint targeting cycle in these strikes, but not the legality of the actions themselves.
