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The United States military has conducted another strike on a boat suspected of trafficking drugs in the Caribbean, killing three people and bringing the total death toll from its new campaign to 70. The operation, which occurred on Thursday, is the latest in a series of more than a dozen lethal strikes targeting vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean since early September.
The Trump administration has characterized the campaign as a necessary measure against "narcoterrorists." Officials have formally notified Congress that the U.S. is engaged in an "armed conflict" with certain South American drug cartels, which they argue threaten American lives. According to the Pentagon, these groups constitute a legitimate military threat, justifying the use of lethal force. This aggressive posture marks a significant escalation in the U.S. strategy for combating drug trafficking at sea, moving from interdiction and arrest to direct military engagement.
Since the campaign began, there have been at least 15 publicly acknowledged strikes. These have included operations against small, fast-moving boats often used by smuggling networks. Details on the expanding military operation show that while some strikes have occurred in the Caribbean, others have targeted vessels hundreds of miles off the Pacific coast of South America.
The policy has ignited a fierce debate over its legality and strategic wisdom. Critics, including Democratic lawmakers and international law experts, question the administration's unilateral declaration of an armed conflict. The legality of these military actions is under scrutiny, with opponents arguing that drug cartels, while dangerous, may not meet the criteria for military targets under the laws of war. This would make lethal strikes, carried out without attempting to detain the suspects, a violation of international norms.
Furthermore, some analysts raise concerns that the strikes could be counterproductive, potentially escalating violence without dismantling the complex financial and logistical networks of the cartels. The facts and legal questions surrounding the strikes continue to be a subject of intense discussion as the death toll from the U.S. operations continues to climb.
