The US military on April 24 (US time) said it had launched an attack on a ship in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people.
The South American Command announced that the attacked ship was believed to be operated by "designated terrorist organizations", although it did not specify the identities. The deceased were described as "men involved in drug trafficking", but there were no further details.
According to the US military, intelligence data confirms that the ship moved on known drug smuggling routes and was involved in transporting banned substances. A short video released by the South American Command shows the moment the ship was hit at sea.
Washington affirmed that no US soldiers were injured in this operation. This is one of many similar attacks carried out in the area in recent weeks.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has increased military measures against ships suspected of transporting drugs. According to statistics, such attacks have killed more than 170 people since September.
Experts and human rights organizations in the US and internationally have questioned the legality of these actions. International human rights and amnesty watchdogs argue that these are "outlaw killings".
These developments continue to fuel controversy about how the US implements its anti-drug trafficking strategy at sea.
