The US military announced last night that it had attacked three ships it said were smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific, killing eight people, while at the same time, scrutiny over the attacks on the ships is intensifying in Congress.
The military said on social media that the strikes targeted "specific terrorist organizations," killing three people on the first ship, two on the second, and three on the third. The military did not provide evidence of alleged drug smuggling, but released a video showing one of the ships before it exploded.
United States President Donald Trump justified these attacks to stop the flow of drugs and that it was an "armed conflict" with drug cartels.
The Trump administration is facing growing scrutiny from members of the US Congress over a campaign of ship strikes that have killed at least 95 people in 25 known operations since early September. That analysis includes a follow-up strike on a ship that killed two survivors of the first strike.
The latest ship strikes come ahead of a congressional briefing by U.S. security officials on the Trump administration's military campaign. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top national security officials are expected to brief members of the House and Senate on the campaign.
The campaign of strikes on ships believed to be smuggling drugs has been stepped up to put pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is accused of narcoterrorism in the United States. In a major escalation last week, US forces seized a tanker that the Trump administration has accused of smuggling illegal oil. Maduro says the real reason for the US military operation is to oust him from power.
The US military has increased its presence in the region and launched a series of deadly strikes on ships allegedly smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific. Trump says ground strikes will follow soon, but has not given details on the location.
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