US reports five killed after strike on vessel — The Guardian

The US military said it carried out an airstrike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean on October 27, killing five people. The United States claims the vessel may have been involved in illegal drug trafficking, The Guardian reports.

Series of strikes on vessels

According to media estimates, this attack was one of more than 70 such strikes since the start of Donald Trump’s second presidential term. In total, more than 240 people have been killed in these operations.

The Trump administration insists that the people and boats targeted in the strikes were involved in drug trafficking. President Trump has stated that the United States is in an armed conflict with Latin American cartels and explained the operations as necessary to stop drugs from entering the United States.

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Questions over the legality of the operations

At the same time, the US administration has not provided convincing evidence to support claims that the targeted vessels were involved in transporting drugs. This has sparked debate over the legality of such strikes.

Legal experts and human rights organizations believe these operations may constitute extrajudicial killings, since, in their assessment, the targets may have been civilians who did not pose an immediate threat to the United States.