U.S. military says it struck drug boat in eastern Pacific killing 2

Aug. 24 (UPI) — The U.S. military said on Monday that it launched an airstrike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people.

The strike was launched on Sunday, U.S. Southern Command said in a statement on social media. It is believed to be the first airstrike the military has launched on alleged maritime drug trafficking routes since June 21.

The military has launched strikes on at least 67 vessels and killed at least 221 people as part of its campaign against drug trafficking vessels since September. However, it has been disputed that some of the victims of these strikes were not involved in any drug trafficking activities.

Sen. Tim Kaine, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee, told the White House earlier this month that a review of clblockified information has found the strikes have likely, illegally, killed “individuals who are not involved in narcotrafficking.”

Lawmakers and human rights organizations have argued that those suspected of drug trafficking should face prosecution, not extrajudicial killing.

“Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere executed a lethal kinetic strike on a low-profile vessel operating along established narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement on Sunday.

As of March, the U.S. military’s operation targeting the maritime drug trade cost about $4.7 billion, the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University reported.