The U.S. military conducted its fourth strike this week on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing the total death toll to 205 since early September.
11:32 PM
The U.S. military carried out a strike Saturday on a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing three men, U.S. Southern Command announced.
The strike marks the fourth attack this week by U.S. forces targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels. The three deaths bring the total death toll to 205 in a series of strikes that began in early September, according to military officials.
U.S. Southern Command said the vessel was "engaged in narco-trafficking operations" and operated by a designated terrorist organization. The command stated that intelligence confirmed the boat was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific. The military provided no evidence for the allegations.
Video released by the military on social media shows a small vessel moving in the ocean before it is struck and engulfed in a fireball. U.S. Southern Command confirmed that no U.S. military forces were harmed in the operation.
The attack is part of a monthslong campaign against alleged drug boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Other strikes were announced on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week. The death toll rose slightly this week as some individuals initially reported by the U.S. military as survivors of earlier strikes were later counted among the deceased.
Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted the lethal kinetic strike under the direction of U.S. Southern Command Gen. Francis L. Donovan. The military released drone video footage of the strike on social media platforms.
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