In brief
In a recent U.S. military operation, five individuals were killed when two boats suspected of drug trafficking were targeted. This incident is part of a broader campaign against narcotics smuggling by U.S. forces, which has led to over 110 deaths since the campaign began. Experts are raising legal concerns about the strikes, particularly regarding engagement rules in non-international armed conflicts.
The US military says it struck two boats it alleges were carrying drugs on Wednesday, killing five people on board.
US Southern Command did not specify where the latest strikes occurred, but U.S. forces have been targeting vessels they suspect of smuggling narcotics to the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific for the past three months.
Wednesday's strike came a day after the U.S. targeted what it said were three narco-trafficking vessels travelling as a convoy, resulting in at least three fatalities.
The Trump administration has framed its operations as a non-international armed conflict against alleged traffickers, but legal experts warn that these actions may violate existing laws governing such conflicts.
To date, there have been over 30 strikes against vessels as part of Trump's war on drugs, leading to more than 110 deaths since the first attack on a boat in international waters on September 2.
The initial attack has come under scrutiny, especially after it was revealed that U.S. forces struck the targeted boat twice, killing two survivors who were holding onto the hull during the second strike, raising concerns about the legality of the method used.
In its announcement about the latest engagement, U.S. Southern Command mentioned survivors without specifying how many. An anonymous U.S. official disclosed to Reuters that eight survivors were being sought, though it's unclear if they have been located.
The U.S. has yet to provide evidence that the vessels targeted were indeed involved in transporting drugs, but Southern Command reiterated claims that intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and engaged in narco-trafficking.
