The US military conducted another strike on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing two men and pushing the body count from its ongoing campaign to nearly 200 deaths in less than five months.
US Southern Command said the boat was operating along a known smuggling corridor when it came under attack. "Two male narco-terrorists were killed during this action," the command stated in an announcement posted to social media.
The strike marks the second lethal assault in as many days under an offensive that began in early September. President Trump framed the campaign as an effective declaration of war against Latin American drug cartels, calling it "Southern Spear."
Video of the latest strike showed the vessel before impact, followed by a large explosion and burning debris floating in the water. The military released no additional details about the target or the circumstances of the attack.
A separate incident on Tuesday resulted in two survivors being left in the water. US Southern Command said the Coast Guard was alerted to conduct a rescue, though the service did not respond to questions about that operation or other rescue efforts undertaken as part of the campaign.
The mounting death toll has drawn scrutiny from legal experts and human rights advocates, who argue the strikes may constitute extrajudicial killings. They note the military has offered no definitive proof that targeted vessels were engaged in drug trafficking, and point out that the boats and their occupants do not appear to pose immediate threats to the United States.
The Pentagon has released grainy video and sparse operational statements to justify individual strikes, but has declined to provide broader evidence linking the campaign's targets to cartel operations. The administration has instead relied on assertions by Southern Command regarding the boats' locations and suspected activities.
The campaign has now resulted in at least 195 deaths according to AFP's count, a figure that reflects only confirmed strikes and does not account for possible additional operations not yet disclosed publicly.
Author James Rodriguez: "The administration is waging a war without declaring one, and without showing its work. That's a recipe for disaster both strategically and morally."
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