Washington – U.S. strikes another speedboat in the Caribbean, four killed

WASHINGTON, 5 October /ATSH-DPA/ — The U.S. military has struck another speedboat in the Caribbean Sea, which it says was used by drug traffickers. Four people were killed as a result of the attack, the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced today.

SOUTHCOM published a video showing a moving speedboat being hit by a projectile or unidentified explosive device and then being engulfed by a large explosion and flames.

According to the U.S. command, data collected from various sources and verified show that the boat was actively involved in drug trafficking. However, these claims have not been independently verified.

On the orders of President Donald Trump, the U.S. military has since last year carried out repeated strikes against speedboats in the Caribbean Sea and in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, arguing that they were used to illegally transport drugs toward the United States of America.

The U.S. military has often described the people killed in these strikes as “narco-terrorists”, a term used for persons or criminal groups linked to drug trafficking and suspected of using or being linked to terrorist activities.

According to U.S. authorities, dozens of boats have been struck so far and more than 200 people have been killed in the framework of the operation called “Southern Spear”.

These strikes have sparked debate, as critics have raised questions as to whether the use of lethal force against these vessels in international waters is allowed under international law.

The United States of America faces a major problem of drug trafficking and use, for which Trump has blamed foreign traffickers.

A U.S. government official recently stated that, as a result of the military operations, drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea has fallen by about two thirds. This statement, too, however, has not been independently verified. /