🔗 Share this article

According to a senior defense official, the American armed forces executed a fatal strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of four people.

“Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. A total of four male drug traffickers were eliminated, and no American forces were injured.”

Context and Prior Actions

This announcement follows a day after a declaration regarding a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers to and from Venezuela. That statement on social media, the US president accused Venezuela of using oil profits to fund narcotics smuggling and other crimes, pledging to escalate the military presence.

Only on the previous day, the Pentagon said it had conducted strikes on three boats suspected of smuggling narcotics in the Pacific, leading to the deaths of eight people. Since 2 September, more than 20 strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 99 people, most off the coast of Venezuela.

Government Justifies Actions Amidst Scrutiny

The administration has encountered increasing pressure to release video of a September 2nd vessel attack. However, the defense secretary have refused to do so. The administration has defended its campaign as a successful operation, saying it has stopped drugs from reaching US shores and has pushed back on concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of legal military action.

Although the administration has stated the campaign is about halting drugs headed to the US, comments from a senior aide seemed to confirm a wider geopolitical aim. In a recently published interview, the chief of staff said the president “aims to keep on blowing boats up until the Venezuelan president cries uncle.”

This indicates the military campaign may be part of a strategy to oust Venezuela's sitting government.