U.S. Strike Kills Three on Alleged Drug Boat
SOUTHCOM said Gen. Francis L. Donovan ordered a Feb. 20 strike on a vessel on narco-trafficking routes, raising the death toll since early September to roughly 138–148.
Overview
On Feb. 20, U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike in the eastern Pacific that it said killed three people.
SOUTHCOM said intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.
Lawmakers, legal experts and civil liberties advocates have questioned the legality and effectiveness of the strikes, with the ACLU calling such targeting of civilians "flagrantly illegal."
Department of Defense statements indicate the strikes since early September have killed roughly 138 to 148 people in roughly 41 to 43 attacks.
Congressional scrutiny is ongoing, and at least one wrongful-death lawsuit was filed by family members of two Trinidadian men killed in an October strike.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the strikes skeptically, emphasizing legal doubts, lack of evidence, and civilian deaths, using loaded descriptors ('alleged,' 'accused'), prioritizing critics and legal experts over administration claims, and structuring coverage to link this strike to a broader pattern of controversial actions, casting doubt on effectiveness and legality.
Sources (6)
FAQ
U.S. Southern Command's Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific along known narco-trafficking routes, killing three people.
The strikes have killed roughly 138 to 148 people across 41 to 43 attacks, with recent reports citing at least 145 deaths.
Lawmakers, legal experts, civil liberties advocates, and the ACLU have questioned the legality, calling the targeting of civilians flagrantly illegal; critics also cite a follow-up strike on survivors as potential murder or war crime.
Experts from Brookings, Cato Institute, and others say the strikes have minimal impact on drug flow or overdoses, as fentanyl is mainly trafficked over land from Mexico, and cartels may shift to deadlier synthetics.
Congressional scrutiny is ongoing, Republicans defeated efforts to rein in strikes, Democrats and experts demand evidence and justification, and a wrongful-death lawsuit was filed by families of two Trinidadian men killed in an October strike.
History
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