American Military Conducts Lethal Attack in Eastern Pacific, Resulting in Four Deaths
As stated by a senior defense spokesperson, the US military carried out a fatal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of four individuals.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a deadly attack on a craft linked to a terrorist group in international waters. Surveillance confirmed the vessel was traveling along a known drug smuggling route and was involved in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no US military forces were injured.”
Context and Prior Actions
The statement comes a day after an announcement regarding a naval blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. In that announcement on social media, the US president accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund narcotics smuggling and other crimes, pledging to increase the military buildup.
Only on the previous day, US defense officials stated it had conducted strikes on three boats suspected of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, killing eight people. Since 2 September, over 20 strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 99 people, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.
Government Defends Tactics Amidst Scrutiny
The government has encountered growing pressure to make public video of a 2 September vessel attack. However, officials have declined to do so. The administration has defended its efforts as a success, arguing it has prevented drugs from reaching US shores and has dismissed concerns that it is exceeding the limits of lawful warfare.
Although the administration has said the operation is about halting drugs headed to the US, comments from a senior aide appeared to suggest a wider political aim. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor remarked the president “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Venezuela's president cries uncle.”
This suggests the series of strikes may be part of a strategy to remove Venezuela's current leadership.
