US Armed Forces Conducts Lethal Attack in Pacific, Resulting in 4 Deaths
According to a high-ranking defense official, the US armed forces executed a fatal strike on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, killing four people.
“A US joint task force carried out a deadly attack on a craft operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization in open sea. Surveillance confirmed the vessel was transiting along a known drug smuggling route and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. All four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no US military forces were injured.”
Context and Recent Actions
This announcement comes a day after an announcement regarding a blockade of all targeted oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. That statement on social media, the US president accused Venezuela of using oil profits to fund narcotics smuggling and other crimes, pledging to escalate the military presence.
Just on the previous day, the Pentagon said it had conducted strikes on three boats suspected of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, leading to the deaths of eight people. Since 2 September, over 20 strikes have killed at least 99 people, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.
Government Justifies Actions Amid Pressure
The administration has encountered growing demands to release video of a 2 September vessel attack. But, officials have declined to do so. The administration has defended its campaign as a successful operation, arguing it has stopped drugs from reaching US shores and has pushed back on concerns that it is stretching the limits of lawful warfare.
While the administration has said the campaign is about stopping drugs headed to the US, remarks from a senior aide seemed to suggest a wider political aim. In a recent interview, the senior advisor said the leader “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Venezuela's president cries uncle.”
This suggests the series of strikes may be part of a push to remove Venezuela's sitting government.
