US says it killed six in attack on vessel linked to drug trafficking in the Pacific

Information from American intelligence reported that the vessel was sailing along known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. Reproduction/X Six people died after an attack on a suspected drug trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean this Sunday (8), says the US army. There is no information about the exact location of the attack or the identity of the crew. With Sunday’s attack, the death toll reaches at least 157 people since the Donald Trump government began, in early September, attacking vessels it classifies as linked to “narco-terrorists”. The operation is part of the government’s campaign against suspected drug traffickers, which has already seen more than 40 attacks in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean. Despite presenting no evidence, US Southern Command stated that the target was alleged drug traffickers on known smuggling routes. Trump stated that the United States is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and classified the attacks as a necessary escalation to contain the flow of drugs into the country. Still, his government presented little evidence to support the claim that those killed were “narco-terrorists.” Meeting with Latin American leaders In a meeting held on Saturday (7) with Latin American leaders, Trump encouraged countries in the region to join the US in military actions against drug cartels and transnational gangs, which he said represent “an unacceptable threat” to the hemisphere’s national security. During the meeting, the US president announced the formation of a military coalition against drug cartels, in line with the argument he has been defending throughout his second term. 386 US President Donald Trump, President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, President of Argentina Javier Milei, President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele, President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves Robles, President of Bolivia Rodrigo Paz and President-elect of Chile José Antonio Kast pose for a family photo during the “Shield of Women” Summit. Americas” in Miami. EUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Participants include Argentine President Javier Milei, Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose crackdown on gangs, criticized by human rights groups, has become a model for part of the Latin American right. The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was not invited. Last week, Ecuador and the United States carried out military operations against organized crime groups in the South American country. With Saturday’s meeting, Trump also sought to demonstrate that he remains committed to prioritizing US foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere, even as he faces a crisis with Iran, which has repercussions in the Middle East. Critics question the legality of the boat attacks and their effectiveness because the fentanyl responsible for many overdoses in the United States arrives in the country through Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India. The attacks also sparked controversy after it was revealed that US military personnel killed survivors of the first boat attack with a second bombing. The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers said the action was legal and necessary, while Democratic lawmakers and human rights groups said the deaths could amount to murder or even a war crime.

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