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US forces target suspected drug boats, killing five
Five individuals died Wednesday when the U.S. military struck two vessels it claims were transporting narcotics, according to U.S. Southern Command. The operation marks the latest in a series of strikes against alleged smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific over the past three months.
Recent operations and casualties
The Wednesday strike followed an attack just a day earlier, when U.S. forces targeted three boats traveling together, resulting in at least three fatalities. Since September 2, when the first such operation was conducted in international waters, over 30 strikes have been carried out, with more than 110 people killed.
Legal and ethical concerns raised
The Trump administration has framed these operations as part of a non-international armed conflict against alleged traffickers. However, legal experts argue that the strikes may violate the laws governing such conflicts. Particular scrutiny has fallen on the first strike in September, where U.S. forces fired twice at the same boat. Two survivors clinging to the hull after the initial attack were killed in the second strike, prompting lawmakers to question whether the so-called "double-tap" breached rules of engagement.
Survivors and search efforts
In its statement about the December 30 strike on a three-boat convoy, U.S. Southern Command acknowledged survivors but did not specify how many. It reported that remaining individuals abandoned the vessels and jumped overboard before follow-up strikes sank the boats. The U.S. Coast Guard was immediately notified to conduct search-and-rescue operations.
"The remaining narco-terrorists abandoned the other two vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels."
U.S. Southern Command
An unnamed U.S. official told Reuters that eight survivors were being sought, though it remains unclear whether any have been located.
Lack of evidence and intelligence claims
The U.S. has not provided public evidence that the targeted boats were carrying drugs. Despite this, Southern Command reiterated in its latest statement that "intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking."
