The United States military has extended its deadly counter-narcotics campaign into the Eastern Pacific Ocean, conducting lethal kinetic strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels this week. The new operations represent a significant expansion in the policy. Until now, which was limited only to the Caribbean Sea.
According to Reuters, in statements released on Wednesday and Thursday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed “two separate strikes had been carried out in international waters off the coast of South America on Tuesday and Wednesday. The attacks, which killed five suspected traffickers, were directed by President Donald Trump.”
This move marks a major strategic shift in the government’s “war on drugs.” According to the officials, it is a counter-terrorism operation, and the targets are not referred to as criminals but narco-terrorists.
The government’s use of military force against the cartels is being claimed to be legal by the Trump administration. The attacks portray the same legal structure that was created after 9/11 to attack the terrorist groups. However, this justification is being criticised by some lawmakers and legal experts as they claim that Congress did not specifically authorise them.
The US military is extremely serious about its fight against the drug smugglers. Earlier US was focused on the Caribbean, but now, they are expanding their combat to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. This week, the military has carried out two separate strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels off the coast of America, killing five people in the action. Before, the aim was just to stop and seize the boats. Now the government is planning to attack and destroy the vessels and wash off the entire drug arena.
Amid different interventions by the Congress, the present government is hell-bent on carrying out attacks on the drug-smuggling boats and vessels and is likely to declare a war on drugs.
