American Armed Forces Executes Lethal Strike in Pacific, Resulting in 4 Fatalities
According to a high-ranking defense official, the US military executed a lethal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four people.
“A US joint task force carried out a deadly attack on a craft linked to a terrorist group in open sea. Surveillance verified the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. All four male drug traffickers were killed, and no American forces were injured.”
Background and Recent Strikes
This announcement comes a day after a declaration regarding a naval blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela. That statement on social media, the American leader accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund narcotics smuggling and criminal activities, vowing to increase the military presence.
Only on Tuesday, the Pentagon stated it had carried out strikes on three boats suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Pacific, killing eight people. Beginning on 2 September, over 20 strikes have killed at least 99 individuals, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.
Administration Justifies Tactics Amid Scrutiny
The administration has faced growing demands to make public video of a 2 September vessel attack. But, the defense secretary have declined to do so. The administration has defended its campaign as a success, arguing it has stopped drugs from entering US shores and has pushed back on concerns that it is exceeding the limits of lawful warfare.
Although the administration has stated the operation is about halting drugs destined for the US, comments from a senior aide appeared to confirm a wider political aim. In a recently published interview, the chief of staff said the leader “wants to keep on blowing boats up until Venezuela's president surrenders or concedes.”
This indicates the series of strikes may be part of a push to remove Venezuela's current leadership.
