US Armed Forces Conducts Deadly Strike in Eastern Pacific, Resulting in 4 Deaths
As stated by a high-ranking military official, the US armed forces executed a fatal kinetic engagement on a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, killing four people.
“A US joint task force carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a craft linked to a terrorist group in open sea. Intelligence verified the vessel was traveling along a established drug smuggling route and was involved in narco-trafficking operations. All four male narco-terrorists were killed, and no American forces were injured.”
Background and Recent Strikes
The statement follows a day after a declaration regarding a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. In that announcement on social media, the US president accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund drug trafficking and criminal activities, pledging to increase the military buildup.
Just on Tuesday, US defense officials said it had carried out strikes on three boats suspected of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, killing eight people. Beginning on 2 September, over 20 strikes have killed at least 99 individuals, most off the coast of Venezuela.
Government Justifies Tactics Amidst Pressure
The administration has encountered growing demands to make public video of a September 2nd vessel attack. But, the defense secretary have declined to do so. The administration has defended its campaign as a successful operation, saying it has stopped drugs from reaching US shores and has dismissed concerns that it is exceeding the limits of legal military action.
Although the administration has said the operation is about stopping drugs headed to the US, comments from a senior aide seemed to confirm a wider political aim. In a recently published interview, the chief of staff remarked the leader “aims to keep on destroying vessels until Venezuela's president surrenders or concedes.”
This indicates the military campaign may be linked to a strategy to oust Venezuela's current leadership.
