US military attacks alleged drug smuggling boats in eastern Pacific, 8 killed

Washington: According to the US military, it carried out airstrikes on 3 boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the death of 8 people.
According to the French news agency, since early September, the US military has been targeting boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific.
so far, while the death toll has reached 95.
The US Southern Command confirmed these latest attacks on the social media platform X, claiming that all eight people killed in the attacks were involved in drug smuggling, but no evidence was provided in this regard.
In the video footage released with the statement, three separate boats are seen floating in the sea, which are later targeted by air strikes.
According to the US Southern Command, intelligence confirmed that the boats were traveling along drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were involved in illegal activities.
However, these operations are being strongly criticized by human rights activists and US Democratic lawmakers, with the UN human rights chief warning last month that such attacks could violate international law.
The US administration, describing those killed as “combatants”, has taken the position that it is authorized to carry out deadly attacks without judicial oversight under a secret legal opinion from the Justice Department.
However, US authorities have so far been unable to provide concrete evidence that the boats targeted were actually being used to transport drugs.