The U.S. military continued its campaign against suspected drug-trafficking boats on Thursday, sinking two in the eastern Pacific Ocean and killing five people.
According to media reports, the attacks, announced by U.S. Southern Command, raised the number of boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific to 28, with at least 104 people the administration describes as narco-terrorists killed.
President Donald Trump has justified the attacks as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S., and he maintains the U.S. is engaged in an armed conflict with cartels.
"At the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters," SOUTHCOM wrote Thursday in a news release.
"Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of five male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions — three in the first vessel and two in the second vessel. No U.S. military forces were harmed."
The strikes were the third this week in the eastern Pacific against suspected drug-trafficking boats. On Monday, eight alleged "narco-terrorists" were killed in strikes on three suspected drug vessels. On Wednesday, SOUTHCOM said a strike on one boat killed four others.
The Trump administration is facing scrutiny from Congress, mostly from Democrats, regarding the boat strikes. The scrutiny stemmed from a Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean in which two survivors were killed in a follow-up strike.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Berney Flowers told Newsmax on Dec. 7 the secondary strike was conducted within established rules of engagement. Republican lawmakers indicated Thursday that they intend to suspend any further inquiries into the strike.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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