The U.S. military said on Tuesday that it had struck another boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three people and bringing the death toll to at least 190 in the monthslong campaign against those who the United States alleges are engaged in drug smuggling at sea.
U.S. Southern Command, led by Gen. Francis L. Donovan of the Marine Corps, announced the attack in a social media post on Tuesday evening. The post cited unspecified intelligence, and said the boat was traveling on “known narco-trafficking routes” and was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” It included a 28-second video showing an attack on a moving boat.
The strike is the second in two days, and it comes as the United States has accelerated its pace of strikes, attacking seven boats last month. The United States has struck 56 boats since September, when it began its campaign in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
The Trump administration has not provided evidence that the boats they attack are involved in drug smuggling, and military experts have said that the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings.
