The U.S. army has killed six extra individuals in strikes on what it claims have been drug-running boats, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned Monday, bringing the entire demise toll within the collection of assaults to 76.
Hegseth mentioned in a submit on X that the U.S. carried out two strikes on Sunday in worldwide waters within the japanese Pacific, focusing on two boats that have been “carrying narcotics” with three “male narco-terrorists” on board every.
“All 6 were killed. No U.S. forces were harmed,” he mentioned.
As in earlier strikes, which started beneath President Trump’s administration in September, U.S. officers didn’t launch the identities of these killed, or provide proof that they have been smuggling narcotics or posed a risk to the US.
Specialists say the strikes, which have taken place in each the Pacific and Caribbean, quantity to extrajudicial killings even when they aim recognized traffickers.
Hegseth mentioned the 2 vessels have been “operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.” He didn’t title the teams.
The U.S. army has killed six extra individuals in strikes on what it claims have been drug-running boats, Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth mentioned Monday, bringing the entire demise toll within the collection of assaults to 76.
Pete Hegseth/X
The Trump administration has mentioned in a discover to Congress that the US is engaged in “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, describing them as terrorist teams as a part of its justification for the strikes.
Video accompanying the submit confirmed a strike on one boat sitting stationary within the water, and a separate open-top vessel exploding whereas underway.
A brief video clip in shade of the shifting vessel reveals what seem like a number of parcels loaded inside. No particulars will be made out on the stationary vessel, which seems in black-and-white video.
U.S. strikes have now destroyed at the very least 20 vessels thus far — 19 boats and an alleged “narco sub.”
“Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people,” Hegseth mentioned.
The strikes on alleged drug traffickers have coincided with a U.S. army buildup within the Caribbean. To date it has deployed six Navy ships within the Caribbean, despatched F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, and ordered the USS Gerald R Ford provider strike group to the area.
The governments and households of these killed within the U.S. strikes have mentioned most of the useless have been civilians — primarily fishermen.
Washington says their mission is to fight drug trafficking, however Caracas views the ships as a risk to oust Venezuelan chief Nicolas Maduro, who has repeatedly accused Mr. Trump of searching for to oust him.
When requested in an interview with “60 Minutes” final week if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” Mr. Trump responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.”
Mr. Trump final month additionally confirmed that he had licensed covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
In the meantime, the U.N. rights chief urged Washington on Monday to research the legality of the strikes, warning of “strong indications” of “extrajudicial killings.”
“I have called for investigations by the US administration first and foremost, because they need to… ask themselves the question: are these violations of international human rights law? Are they extrajudicial killings? I mean, there are strong indications that they are, but they need to investigate this,” Volker Turk informed AFP in an interview.
The United Nations beforehand requested the US to stop its marketing campaign, with Turk saying the killings have taken place “in circumstances that find no justification in international law.”
Final week, Senate Republicans voted to reject laws that might have put a verify on Mr. Trump’s means to launch an assault towards Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger position in Mr. Trump’s high-stakes marketing campaign towards Maduro.
In August, the Trump administration doubled a bounty for Maduro, providing a $50 million reward for his arrest.
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