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\nPete Hegseth said the strikes was ‘conducted in international waters’<\/p>\n
A US strike on an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean killed three people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has said, the latest such attack in international waters.<\/p>\n
The United States has deployed US Navy ships to the Caribbean and sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico as part of a massive military force that Washington insists is aimed at curbing drug trafficking.<\/p>\n
More than 15 US strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific have killed at least 65 people in recent weeks, prompting criticism from governments in the region.<\/p>\n
The latest strike hit “another narco-trafficking vessel … in the Caribbean,” Mr Hegseth wrote on social media.<\/p>\n
\nPete Hegseth said the strikes was ‘conducted in international waters’<\/p>\n
He said: “This vessel – like EVERY OTHER – was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling.<\/p>\n
“Three male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters.<\/p>\n
“All three terrorists were killed.”<\/p>\n
Experts say the attacks, which began in early September, amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers.<\/p>\n
Washington has yet to make public any evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.<\/p>\n
Mr Hegseth said the US would continue to “hunt … and kill” alleged drug traffickers.<\/p>\n
He shared video footage of the strike, showing the moment the vessel is hit, followed by a fireball.<\/p>\n
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\nVenezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro insists there is no drug cultivation in his country<\/p>\n
Like previous videos released by the US government, areas on the boat are obfuscated, rendering it impossible to verify how many people were on board.<\/p>\n
On Friday, the United Nations urged the US to halt its strikes.<\/p>\n
UN rights chief Volker T\u00fcrk said these people had been killed “in circumstances that find no justification in international law”.<\/p>\n
“These attacks – and their mounting human cost – are unacceptable,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who faces indictment on drug charges in the United States, accused Washington of using drug trafficking as a pretext for “imposing regime change” in Caracas to seize Venezuelan oil.<\/p>\n
But US President Donald Trump has said he was not considering strikes against Venezuela, dialing back previous comments.<\/p>\n