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The US military said it launched another strike on a boat accused of ferrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing three people on Sunday, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to crackdown on the smuggling of drugs into the United States.
The Trump administration’s campaign of blowing up alleged drug-trafficking vessels in Latin American waters has persisted since early September, killing at least 181 people. Other strikes have taken place in the eastern Pacific Ocean as well.
The series of strikes have ramped up again in the past week or so, despite the war in Iran, which has been the focal point of the US military since it broke out on the 28th of February.
The renewed strikes signal that the administration is not prepared to roll back in its fight on what it calls “narcoterrorism” in the Western Hemisphere. The US military, to date, has not provided any evidence that any of the vessels targeted were indeed carrying drugs.
The attacks began as Washington built up its largest military presence in the region in generations and came months ahead of the raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face charges of narcotrafficking, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
In the latest attack on Sunday, the US Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.
It also posted a video on X showing a boat moving along the water before a massive explosion engulfs the vessel in flames.
US President Donald Trump has previously said that his country is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives.
But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.” Critics have slammed the repeated attacks as a violation of international law, as most of these strikes occur in international waters, making them illegal.
Additional sources • AP