Khaberni - The US Department of War announced on Monday that 6 people were killed in two airstrikes targeting boats suspected of being used to smuggle drugs in the international waters of the Pacific Ocean, bringing the death toll in the controversial American campaign against drug smuggling to 76 since last September.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that the boats were transporting drugs and cruising on a well-known smuggling route, and were operated by a group classified as terrorist, without revealing the identities of the deceased or providing evidence of their involvement in smuggling operations or a direct threat to the United States.
Hegseth released a video showing the moment the boats were targeted and blown up.
This strike comes in the context of an American military escalation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, which included the deployment of a nuclear submarine and warships, amid accusations from Caracas that Washington is using the drug war as a pretext to change the regime in Venezuela.
In September, the United States strengthened their military presence in the Caribbean region, including a nuclear submarine and a group of warships accompanying the world's largest aircraft carrier, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to bolster his security forces and deploy tens of thousands of troops across the country.
The American operations in the region have drawn widespread international criticism. The United Nations has called for an investigation into the legality of the strikes, pointing to "strong evidence" of "extrajudicial executions."
Furthermore, 58 countries from Latin America and the European Union, during a summit in Colombia, expressed their rejection of the use of force in a manner that contradicts international law, in reference to the American attacks on boats suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.
