(AFP) – The US military on Wednesday struck another boat in the eastern Pacific it claimed was trafficking drugs, killing four people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from Washington’s controversial anti-narcotics campaign to at least 62. The strike occurred in international waters, Hegseth announced on X, and a video accompanying his post showed a boat floating stationary in the water before a large explosion and subsequent fire. Like previous videos released by the US government, areas on the boat are obfuscated, rendering it impossible to verify how many people were on board.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said. Experts say the attacks, which began in early September, amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers, and Washington has yet to make public any evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.
Wednesday’s deadly attack comes two days after multiple strikes on four boats killed 14 people in the eastern Pacific and left one survivor. The United States asked Mexico to attempt to rescue the survivor, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that search efforts had failed.
Earlier Wednesday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said his country had intercepted three planes allegedly used for drug trafficking, as tensions mount over the US boat strikes and its military deployment in the region. “The day before yesterday…a drug-trafficking plane entered through the Caribbean. Our aviation detected it in a second,” Maduro said at an official event. “Today, two drug-trafficking aircraft entered from the north. And in accordance with our law, we have an interception law…bam, boom, bang!” It was not immediately clear if this meant the planes were shot down. Maduro said the action was taken “to make them respect Venezuela…what is that called? Exercising sovereignty.”
Caracas has sought to showcase anti-drug efforts in the face of a massive US military deployment within striking distance of the country. The United States has deployed seven US Navy warships as well as F-35 stealth warplanes, and ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the region, bringing a massive increase in firepower.
Washington calls its deployment an anti-drug operation, but Caracas fears it is a guise for military action to oust Maduro. US President Donald Trump’s administration says Maduro is a drug lord, an accusation he denies, and has issued a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture. Maduro insists there is no drug cultivation in Venezuela, which he says is used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine against its will.
© 2024 AFP
