The American army declared Sunday that it had destroyed two boats suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in five deaths and one survivor, while the Trump administration continues its campaign against presumed traffickers in Latin America and prepares for a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The attacks on Saturday bring the number of people killed in boat strikes by the American army to at least 168 since the Trump administration began targeting what it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.
As with most of the army’s statements regarding the dozens of strikes in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, the United States Southern Command stated that it had targeted presumed drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.
The army provided no evidence that the ship was carrying drugs. Videos posted online showed small boats moving on the water before each being engulfed by a blinding explosion.
The United States Southern Command reported on X that it had requested the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivor. The Coast Guard confirmed that it was coordinating the search efforts and said that information would be provided as soon as it became available.
President Donald Trump stated that the United States was in an “armed conflict” with Latin American cartels and justified these attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs to the US and the deadly overdoses affecting Americans.
However, his administration has provided little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.”
Critics have questioned the overall legality of boat strikes and their effectiveness, partly because fentanyl, responsible for many fatal overdoses, is generally transported to the US by land from Mexico, where it is produced from chemicals imported from China and India.
Middle East
Strikes on boats continued in Latin America, even as the US army focused on operations in the Middle East, where the US has been at war with Iran for several weeks.
Donald Trump announced Sunday that the US Navy would implement a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after ceasefire talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan failed.
He aims to weaken Iran’s main leverage in this conflict after demanding the reopening of this crucial maritime route through which normally 20% of the world’s oil flows. The US Central Command specified that the blockade would target Iranian ports.
