A new boat, allegedly linked to international drug trafficking, has been the target of US attacks in the Pacific. The operation took place on Thursday (12/4), according to a statement issued by the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
According to the US government, four men on board the ship died during the attack.
“On December 4, at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Combined Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel in international waters operated by a designated terrorist organization. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transporting illicit drugs and transiting a known drug trafficking route in the Eastern Pacific,” the statement read.
As in other similar cases, the Donald Trump administration has not provided evidence linking the ship to drug trafficking.
With the new operation, the number of boats attacked by the United States in the Caribbean and Pacific waters rises to 23.
According to Washington, the military campaign in the region seeks to target gangs that transport drugs into the country. Despite the official justifications, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been the main target of US threats. This is because the Chavista leader was appointed head of the Los Soles cartel, a group recently designated as an international terrorist organization by the United States.