The US military conducted strikes on two alleged drug-trafficking boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, resulting in five deaths and marking the third such attack this week. This is part of Operation Southern Spear, a campaign aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking. The ongoing campaign has raised questions in Congress, especially regarding the legality of the strikes and lack of public evidence connecting the boats to drug cartels. A provision in the recently signed defense policy bill withholds funds from the Secretary of Defense’s travel budget until unedited videos of the initial September strikes are released to Congress.
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US military says it conducted a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four men. Honestly, the headline itself is a bit of a shocker. It’s almost surprising it didn’t involve some location near Venezuela, considering the current geopolitical climate. It makes you wonder, are we just straight-up killing people now? It’s a question that hangs heavy in the air.
“Eastern Pacific” feels like a purposefully vague term, doesn’t it? It’s the right half of the Pacific Ocean, which, let’s be real, is a massive body of water. The headlines lately read like movie scripts, but the endings aren’t always so neat and tidy.… Continue reading
The US military conducted a lethal strike against a vessel allegedly operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of four individuals, marking the second such strike this week. This recent action follows a previous strike on Monday that killed eight people, part of a broader campaign called Operation Southern Spear aimed at curbing narcotics trafficking. These strikes are part of increased US military action in South America, focusing on Venezuela, a move that has drawn criticism and accusations of seeking regime change from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. While Congress is seeking more information regarding the offensive, including unedited video footage, the Pentagon has stated it will only release the footage to specific committees.
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The US military conducted strikes on three boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals. These attacks, targeting vessels allegedly involved in drug smuggling and linked to “designated terrorist organizations,” were justified by the US President as an escalation to combat drug trafficking. The strikes are drawing increased scrutiny from lawmakers, especially given the rising death toll and the recent designation of fentanyl as a “weapon of mass destruction,” which has expanded government authority.
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The US military conducted another lethal strike in the eastern Pacific, targeting a boat suspected of carrying narcotics and killing four individuals. This marks the 22nd such strike since September, resulting in at least 87 fatalities. The Pentagon faces growing questions about the legality of these attacks, particularly after reports of the defense secretary’s directive to “kill them all.” Legal experts are challenging the administration’s justification, which claims these actions are lawful under the rules of war, with some highlighting that killing incapacitated individuals is a violation of the law.
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The US is facing scrutiny from G7 foreign ministers regarding recent military strikes in the Caribbean, targeting vessels suspected of carrying drugs. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot criticized the operations, citing potential instability in the region where France has overseas territories and concerns of unlawfulness, marking a rare rebuke of US actions. These strikes, which have resulted in at least 75 reported deaths, have led to questions about legal justification, with the US arguing self-defense while international experts raise concerns of war crimes. The G7 meeting, chaired by Canada, also focused on support for Ukraine and addressed the conflict in Sudan, but the Caribbean strikes were a central talking point.
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Following the direction of President Trump, US forces conducted lethal strikes on two vessels off the coast of South America, resulting in the deaths of six individuals allegedly involved in drug trafficking. The strikes, which began in early September, have targeted vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in over 70 deaths to date. These actions have drawn criticism, with the UN human rights chief condemning them as a violation of international law, and Venezuela denouncing them as illegal and aggressive. Despite the attacks, the US has not made public any concrete evidence of the targets’ activities.
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AP News has learned the identity of some men killed in U.S. military strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats, thanks to reporting done by Regina Garcia Cano. Through interviews with residents and relatives in Venezuelan villages, it was discovered that the deceased were not narco-terrorists as claimed, but rather men involved in drug running for the first or second time. The reporting was met with significant challenges, as sources were fearful of speaking out due to potential repercussions from the Venezuelan government, including searches and detentions. Despite the challenges, the reporting found widespread poverty and a lack of information that is hindering the ability of families to mourn their lost loved ones.
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US military kills three in strike on drug-trafficking vessel in Caribbean, Hegseth says, and the immediate reaction is, well, skepticism. It’s hard to avoid the gut feeling that something isn’t right when we’re presented with a story like this. The core of the issue, at least from what I gather, seems to be a lack of concrete proof. We’re told that a vessel was targeted and three people were killed, allegedly involved in drug trafficking, but where’s the evidence? The questions flood in immediately: What constitutes a “drug-trafficking vessel”? How was this determined? Was there any due process, any attempt at arrest, or was it a shoot-first-ask-questions-later scenario?… Continue reading
The UN’s human rights chief has criticized recent US military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, alleging these lethal attacks violate international law and constitute extrajudicial killings. According to reports, these strikes have resulted in over 60 fatalities since early September. The UN is calling on the US to cease these actions immediately. Despite the criticism, the US has defended the strikes, with President Trump arguing their necessity to combat drug trafficking and that he has the legal authority to continue them.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood