American Armed Forces Executes Lethal Attack in Pacific, Resulting in Four Deaths
As stated by a high-ranking military spokesperson, the US military executed a fatal strike on a boat in the Pacific Ocean, killing four individuals.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a terrorist group in open sea. Intelligence verified the vessel was traveling along a established narco-trafficking route and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male drug traffickers were killed, and no US military forces were injured.”
Background and Prior Strikes
The statement comes a day after a declaration regarding a blockade of all targeted oil tankers to and from Venezuela. In that announcement on online platforms, the American leader accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund narcotics smuggling and criminal activities, vowing to increase the military buildup.
Just on Tuesday, US defense officials said it had carried out strikes on three boats it accused of smuggling narcotics in the Pacific, killing eight people. Since 2 September, over 20 strikes have killed at least 99 people, most off the coast of Venezuela.
Administration Defends Tactics Amid Scrutiny
The government has faced increasing pressure to release video of a 2 September vessel attack. However, officials have declined to do so. The administration has supported its efforts as a successful operation, saying it has stopped drugs from entering US shores and has dismissed concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of lawful warfare.
While the administration has stated the operation is about halting drugs destined for the US, comments from a top official seemed to suggest a wider political objective. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor said the leader “wants to keep on destroying vessels until Venezuela's president cries uncle.”
This indicates the series of strikes may be linked to a push to remove Venezuela's sitting government.
