🔗 Share this article

As stated by a senior military official, the US armed forces carried out a lethal kinetic engagement on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four individuals.

“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a craft linked to a terrorist group in international waters. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along a established narco-trafficking route and was involved in illicit drug transport. All four male drug traffickers were eliminated, and no American forces were harmed.”

Background and Recent Actions

This announcement comes a day after an announcement regarding a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. In that announcement on social media, the US president accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund narcotics smuggling and other crimes, pledging to escalate the military presence.

Only on the previous day, the Pentagon said it had carried out strikes on three boats it accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, leading to the deaths of eight people. Since 2 September, more than 20 strikes have killed at least 99 individuals, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.

Government Justifies Tactics Amidst Pressure

The government has faced growing pressure to release video of a 2 September vessel attack. However, the defense secretary have declined to do so. The administration has defended its campaign as a successful operation, arguing it has stopped drugs from entering US shores and has dismissed concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of lawful warfare.

While the administration has said the campaign is about halting drugs headed to the US, comments from a senior aide seemed to confirm a wider geopolitical objective. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor said the president “aims to keep on destroying vessels until the Venezuelan president cries uncle.”

This suggests the series of strikes may be linked to a strategy to remove Venezuela's sitting leadership.