The Southern Command of the US Army announced that the American forces carried out, on Friday, an airstrike that resulted in the death of two people and the injury of another who survived the incident after targeting a ship suspected of being involved in drug smuggling in the Eastern Pacific.
The command stated that the strike targeted what it described as “drug trafficking” operations, and that the US Coast Guard was notified to launch special search and rescue operations for the survivor. Video footage released by the command shows the ship moving in the water before it explodes and catches fire.
This targeting is the first known of its kind since the American military operation that led to **the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month, in the framework of a broad campaign led by Washington against drug smuggling networks and oil-related trades with Venezuela.
The strike is part of ongoing efforts by the US military to target maritime smuggling routes, in a step that coincides with increasing military tensions in the region following previous operations targeting suspicious boats and resulting in casualties over the past few months. - Agencies
