12 hours ago Ben Hatton Three men have been killed in a US strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.
It is the latest in a series of attacks on vessels the Trump administration says are being used to smuggle drugs into the US.
The Trump administration has previously said that some boats targeted had departed from Venezuela.
The Trump administration has insisted that it was targeting “narco-terrorists”.
The two left-wing leaders have increasingly been at odds with the Trump administration.
Twelve hours ago.
Ben Hatton.
According to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, three men were killed in a US strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean.
The Trump administration claims the vessel is being used to smuggle drugs into the United States, and this is the most recent in a string of attacks on vessels.
Experts have questioned whether the strikes, which have been criticized harshly by Latin American leaders whose citizens have been targeted, are legal under international law since they started in September.
One of US President Donald Trump’s top priorities is stopping the flow of illegal drugs, but some have argued that the strikes are part of an attempt to sway politically opposing governments in the area.
Hegseth claimed that the boat that was targeted on Saturday was being driven by a designated terrorist organization, but he did not say which one it was. The boat was traveling in international waters at the time of the incident.
Without offering proof, he claimed that the ship was transporting drugs and was following a well-known drug-smuggling route.
A video that seems to show a blurred-out boat moving through the water before exploding was released alongside Hegseth’s statement late on Saturday.
Grainy footage is typically included with announcements of these strikes, but there is little proof of the alleged drug trafficking and little information about the people or materials on board each ship.
In the past, the Trump administration has claimed that some of the targeted boats had left Venezuela.
“Narco-terrorists” were the target, according to the Trump administration.
Since early September, American airstrikes have killed at least 64 people in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.
In the past, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has called the attacks “murder” and claimed that the US was using them to “dominate” Latin America.
Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, meanwhile, charged that Washington was “fabricating a war.”.
The Trump administration has been at odds with the two left-wing leaders more and more.
The United States imposed sanctions on Petro and his inner circle after his remarks, and it also revoked Colombia’s designation as an ally in the war on drugs. Trump has threatened to use force against Venezuelan land targets.
However, he acknowledged that the US Congress’ approval might be needed for this.
Though Trump has denied it, some US lawmakers, both Republican and Democratic, have claimed that congressional approval was also necessary for the strikes on vessels.
Some have questioned whether the deadly strikes were even permitted.
Such attacks violate international human rights law, according to a statement made by Volker Turk, the UN’s human rights chief, on Friday.
“The US armed forces have reportedly carried out a continuous series of attacks that have killed over 60 people. “in situations that have no basis in international law,” he stated.
“These assaults are intolerable, as is the growing human cost. “,”.
Political analysts in Latin America have hypothesized that the strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific were a component of a larger set of actions intended to affect change in Venezuela and Colombia.
A number of countries, including the US, view Maduro’s election from last year as illegitimate, and Trump has criticized Petro’s anti-drug policies in his nation, which has historically been an ally of the US.
Over the past several months, Washington has been gradually increasing its force of warships, fighter jets, marines, spy planes, bombers, and drones in the Caribbean. It has presented this as part of an effort to combat drug trafficking, but military analysts say it is far more than is necessary.
