The U.S. Southern Command said in a social media post on Thursday that U.S. forces attacked five suspected drug-smuggling vessels over two days, killing eight people and others who may have jumped from the ships but may have survived.
U.S. Southern Command, which has jurisdiction over South America, did not reveal the locations of Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks.
Similar attacks have occurred in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Video of Tuesday’s attack posted on social media by the Southern Command showed the three ships sailing in close formation, which is unusual, and the military said the three ships were in a convoy along a known drug-trafficking route and were “transferring drugs between the three ships before the attack.”
The military provided no evidence to support this claim.
The military said three people were killed when the first ship was hit, and those on board the other two ships jumped from the ship and distanced themselves from it before the attack.
Southern Command announced that it had immediately notified the U.S. Coast Guard to begin search and rescue operations.
The Southern Command statement did not say whether those who jumped from the boat were rescued.
The Coast Guard’s deployment is notable as the U.S. military has come under intense scrutiny after it killed a survivor in a pursuit of a disabled boat in early September.
Some Democrats and legal experts say the military committed a crime, while the Trump administration and some Republicans say the additional attacks were legal.
In a separate statement, U.S. Southern Command said U.S. forces attacked two more boats on Wednesday, killing five people suspected of smuggling drugs through known smuggling routes.
No evidence of the alleged trafficking was presented, and the waters where the attacks took place were not disclosed. A video posted on social media with the statement showed a boat in the water and an explosion.
The attack brings the total number of known boat attacks since early September to 35, resulting in at least 115 deaths, according to figures released by the Trump administration.
US President Donald Trump justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the country, claiming the US was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
Alongside the airstrikes, the Trump administration is building up military forces in the region as part of increased pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is facing drug-terrorism charges in the United States.
Meanwhile, the CIA was behind last week’s drone attack on a pier area believed to be used by Venezuelan drug cartels, according to two people familiar with the operation who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
This was the first known direct operation inside Venezuela since the US began airstrikes in September, and marked a significant escalation in the regime’s pressure campaign against Maduro.
Additional sources of information • AP