The US military attacked two ships in the eastern Pacific on Thursday, killing five suspected drug smugglers, the US military’s regional command said.
The US military said Thursday it had killed five drug smugglers in an attack on two vessels in international waters in the eastern Pacific. The vessels were sailing a known smuggling route in international waters in the eastern Pacific, the US military’s regional command said, according to French news agency AFP.
The US military has been conducting military operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, which the government says are aimed at drug cartels. As part of those operations, the US military has so far destroyed dozens of vessels believed to belong to suspected drug smugglers, killing more than 100 people, according to AFP.
On Dec. 18, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known… pic.twitter.com/CcCyOgYRto
— US Southern Command (@Southcom) December 19, 2025
Due to the use of the military in the fight against drugs and US President Donald Trump’s hint that he too could send the army to Venezuela, there are warnings in the US that Trump should get permission from the US Congress.
The Republican-dominated House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected two resolutions passed by Democrats to prevent aggression against Venezuela without prior approval from Congress.
The US government insists its actions are legitimate, consistently calling the victims drug traffickers and terrorists, but the killings have drawn sharp criticism, with UN human rights experts claiming the US is violating international law.
(Vijesti.ba)
