US Forces Conduct Strike on Vessels in Eastern Pacific Region

US Military Conducts Deadly Strike on Vessel in Eastern Pacific Ocean

The US military has announced that it has killed four people in its latest attack on a vessel in international waters in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The strike, which took place on Tuesday, was carried out by US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), according to a social media post and accompanying video footage.

The victims were identified as “narco-terrorists” by SOUTHCOM, but no evidence was provided to support this claim. The justification for the lethal attack was reportedly based on intelligence that confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.

This incident brings the total number of deaths attributed to US military strikes in the region since early September to at least 175. The latest strike follows two people who were killed in a US strike on Monday, and five people who were killed in separate strikes on Saturday.

The US Coast Guard has suspended a search for one survivor from the attacks reported on Saturday. International legal experts and rights groups have expressed concerns that the US military campaign amounts to “extrajudicial killings” in international waters, targeting civilian fishing boats.

Source: Al Jazeera