Strike on Pacific Vessel Kills Five in Ongoing Anti-Trafficking Campaign
U.S. Southern Command directed the operation against a go-fast vessel traveling along known trafficking routes.
By Rafael Bailey ·
Five people aboard a vessel in the eastern Pacific were killed on October 27 during a strike ordered by U.S. Southern Command. The operation, carried out by Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere, targeted a go-fast boat operating along established narco-trafficking routes.
U.S. Southern Command said confirmed intelligence showed the vessel was actively involved in drug trafficking. Officials identified those killed as narco-terrorists. Video released by the command shows a vessel in the water before it erupts into a massive fireball.
The strike marked the latest in a campaign targeting suspected cartel vessels that has resulted in at least 240 deaths across more than 70 strikes, according to The Associated Press. That campaign has been underway for months under the Trump administration.
U.S. Southern Command did not disclose the specific coordinates of the operation beyond describing the area as the eastern Pacific. The command has released videos and statements describing people aboard targeted vessels as narco-terrorists or alleging links to designated terrorist organizations. It has generally not identified those killed or provided evidence that vessels were carrying narcotics.
The strikes have drawn scrutiny from lawmakers, legal experts and human rights groups who have questioned the legal basis for using lethal military force against suspected traffickers outside a traditional battlefield. U.S. Southern Command continues to operate in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that the U.S. was increasingly seeking to conduct counter-narcotics operations in cooperation with regional allies and in accordance with their laws. He told reporters that while the U.S. has "the capacity to act unilaterally," it would rather work with allies because that is "the most effective way to do it." Rubio also said the military would "still blow up ships if need be" and that decisions would be made on "a strike-by-strike or operation-by-operation" basis.
In recent months, U.S. Southern Command has also released videos showing military personnel intercepting and boarding vessels before removing crews and sinking the boats.
