US forces kill three men in new attack on Pacific vessel
Third attack in one week brings death toll to 202 in US military operations against alleged drug-trafficking vessels since September.
Third attack in one week brings death toll to 202
The armed forces of the United States carried out a new attack on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, killing three men. It is the third attack in the same week, bringing to 202 the total number of deaths in US military operations against alleged drug-trafficking vessels since September of last year.
Correio da Manhã reports that US Southern Command announced the operation in a post on social media platform X. The attack was ordered by General Francis L. Donovan, the top US commander in Latin America, on the same day he met with Cuban military leaders near the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, according to The Guardian.
Southern Command posts on social media typically include black and white videos of the attacks. The one released on Friday appears to be the first recorded in colour. The images show a small vessel floating in the ocean before being struck by a ball of fire. In the background, the boat is seen in flames, surrounded by a dense cloud of smoke and debris scattered in the water.
The other two attacks this week were announced on Tuesday and Wednesday. The series of operations forms part of a campaign that the Donald Trump administration has framed as an armed conflict with Latin American drug cartels, which it blames for the flow of narcotics reaching US communities.
However, the administration has not presented definitive proof that the targeted vessels are involved in drug trafficking. The absence of public evidence has sparked debate about the legality of the operations under international law.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have characterised the attacks as "illegal extrajudicial killings".
Source: Correio da Manhã