Four people were killed in a US military strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean on Tuesday, according to officials.
According to a statement on X by US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the attack was directed at a ship “operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean.” “Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel’s active involvement in narco-trafficking,” it said.
The message was accompanied by black-and-white video footage that showed a boat navigating the ocean just prior to a significant explosion.
President Donald Trump claims that Washington is essentially at war with drug gangs operating out of Latin America, and the US military began operation “Southern Spear” in early September.
According to an AFP calculation, since then, attacks in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean have claimed the lives of over 200 individuals.
The Trump administration has not offered concrete proof that the ships it has been targeting are engaged in drug trafficking.
The strikes may amount to extrajudicial killings, according to legal experts and human rights organizations.
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