Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The US military attacked a boat in the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, killing four people, as the Trump administration pressed on with its months-long campaign against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America. The strike is part of a wider push by Washington against those it describes as criminal groups involved in the drug trade.
With this attack, at least 231 people have been killed in 69 boat strikes since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” nearly a year ago. The administration has said the action is aimed at stopping the flow of drugs into the United States.
advertisement
In a statement, US Southern Command said the vessel was targeted along known smuggling routes in the Caribbean Sea, in line with most of its announcements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. However, the military did not provide evidence that the boat was carrying drugs. A video posted on X showed what appeared to be a moving boat, followed by a flash.
The administration is also trying to expand its campaign beyond the sea through agreements with allied countries in Latin America. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Panama last month that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the US to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups on their soil.
Guatemala denied that such a deal had been reached. Ecuador launched similar missions with the US in March. President Donald Trump has said the US is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has defended the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem drug trafficking and fatal overdoses in the US. But the administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing smugglers.
The latest strike in the Caribbean Sea, which killed four people, adds to a growing toll from the US campaign at sea, even as questions remain over the evidence behind the military’s claims and as Washington seeks to widen operations with partner countries in the region.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
