Trump Cartel War Expands as U.S. Strike on Pacific Drug Boat Kills 6
The U.S. military says it carried out another strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific, killing six people and pushing the death toll from the campaign to at least 157.
The latest attack is part of a months-long operation launched by the Trump administration targeting vessels it describes as “narcoterrorists” operating along maritime drug-trafficking routes.
According to the Associated Press, U.S. officials say intelligence indicated the vessel was moving along known trafficking corridors used by cartel networks.
The strike was conducted by forces under U.S. Southern Command as part of a broader regional campaign against cartel operations at sea.
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But the strategy has drawn growing scrutiny. Critics say the government has released little public evidence linking those killed to drug trafficking groups, while some families of victims and regional leaders have raised concerns that fishermen or civilians may have been caught in earlier attacks.
The White House has defended the operations as a necessary escalation against cartel networks moving narcotics through the Pacific and Caribbean.
More strikes could follow as the military campaign continues.
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