The US military says it has killed five people in an airstrike targeting a suspected drug-trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
According to The Guardian, US Southern Command announced the operation on Tuesday as part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America.
The latest attack is among more than 70 strikes carried out since Trump began his second presidency, according to media reports. Together, the operations have reportedly killed more than 240 people.
The Trump administration claims the targeted vessels and their occupants were involved in transporting illegal drugs towards the United States.
Trump has described the campaign as part of an armed conflict against Latin American drug cartels, arguing that military action is necessary to stop drug trafficking.
However, the administration has faced growing criticism over the legality of the strikes and the lack of publicly available evidence linking those killed to criminal organisations.
Critics argue that targeting suspected traffickers without establishing an immediate threat could constitute extrajudicial killings.
