US kills 3 in strike on alleged drug smuggling boat in Eastern Pacific

The attack is the latest in a series of strikes on vessels operated by ‘narco-terrorists,’ according to Washington.The United States military has killed at least three people in a strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific Ocean that it alleged was smuggling drugs.The attack, carried out on Thursday, was the latest in a series of strikes on vessels close to the US. The Trump administration says it is cracking down on drug traffickers.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Burnham by-election victory raises stakes for Starmerlist 2 of 4Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha happy his mother will attend World Cuplist 3 of 4A world on trial: How lawyers documenting Israeli abuse pay a pricelist 4 of 4Iran war day 112: Vance defends Tehran ‘deal’ but Switzerland trips are offend of listAccording to Washington, the attack targeted a ship that was carrying unidentified narcotics from Latin America to the US.The US Southern Command said in a social media post that it had conducted a “lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organisations”.“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action,” the statement added.An unclassified video attached to the statement appeared to show the moment a speeding boat was struck by a missile and went up in flames.At least 211 people have now been killed in such strikes in the Pacific.US President Donald Trump has claimed that the country is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels in Latin America, and that his administration is seeking to stem the flow of drugs.However, his administration has not offered concrete evidence connecting all those killed with drug trafficking, with some accusing the US of killing local fishermen with no known links to cartels.Critics have consistently questioned the legality of the strikes, including US politicians and human rights groups.