American Military Executes Deadly Strike in Pacific, Resulting in Four Fatalities
As stated by a senior military official, the US military carried out a fatal strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific, killing four individuals.
“Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a deadly attack on a craft operated by a terrorist group in open sea. Surveillance verified the vessel was traveling along a known drug smuggling route and was engaged in illicit drug transport. All four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no American forces were injured.”
Context and Recent Actions
This announcement comes a day after an announcement regarding a blockade of all targeted oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. In that announcement on online platforms, the American leader alleged Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund narcotics smuggling and other crimes, vowing to increase the military buildup.
Only on the previous day, the Pentagon stated it had carried out strikes on three boats suspected of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, killing eight people. Since 2 September, over 20 strikes have killed at least 99 people, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.
Administration Defends Tactics Amidst Pressure
The government has faced growing demands to release video of a 2 September vessel attack. But, the defense secretary have refused to do so. The administration has defended its campaign as a successful operation, arguing it has stopped drugs from entering US shores and has pushed back on concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of lawful warfare.
While the administration has stated the operation is about halting drugs headed to the US, comments from a senior aide seemed to suggest a broader geopolitical aim. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor said the president “wants to keep on destroying vessels until Venezuela's president surrenders or concedes.”
This suggests the series of strikes may be part of a push to remove Venezuela's sitting leadership.
