The US armed forces have struck two vessels involved in an alleged drug trafficking operation in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Six people on board were killed. This was announced by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
"Our intelligence was known that these vessels were associated with drug trafficking, were carrying drugs and were sailing on a well-known drug trafficking route," Hegseth said on the social network "Ex", accompanying his comment with a video showing the strike on the boats.
Since September, the US has carried out more than 10 strikes on vessels near the Venezuelan coast and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. According to the US Secretary of Defense, more than 70 people were killed in the strikes. All this is happening against the backdrop of a strong buildup of US military forces in the Caribbean Sea.
In each of these strikes, Washington stated, without providing evidence, that the ships being fired on were carrying drugs. Foreign leaders, US congressmen, lawyers and relatives of the killed have demanded evidence. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has described the strikes on suspected drug traffickers as unacceptable and a violation of international humanitarian law. Venezuela says they are illegal and believes they amount to murder and an attack on its sovereignty.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claims that the strikes are part of Donald Trump's attempts to overthrow his government – an accusation that the US president has downplayed, despite reports of close contacts between Washington and the Venezuelan opposition.
In September, the US increased its military presence in the Caribbean, including a nuclear submarine and a group of warships accompanying the world's largest aircraft carrier, prompting Maduro to expand his security powers and deploy tens of thousands of troops across the country, Reuters recalls.