US kills eleven people in new attack against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific
Despite the military intervention in Venezuela, extrajudicial killings in the context of a supposed war against drug traffickers have continued.
WashingtonAlthough the United States intervened in Venezuela as the final blow in its supposed war on drugs, military attacks against vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific continue. The Pentagon has extrajudicially killed eleven people on charges of crewing alleged drug-running boats. According to a statement issued by the U.S. military, the action is part of Operation "Southern Lance," which began last year to increase pressure on Caracas before the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro, who was captured on January 3.
The Pentagon's Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) explains that the attack was carried out late Monday, February 16, against three vessels allegedly operated by terrorist organizations. These three attacks come after another in which the US shot down another boat—allegedly involved in drug trafficking—and killed its three crew members.
Extrajudicial killings by Washington have been under scrutiny for months. Since the first attack in early September, more than eighty vessels have been shot down and more than one hundred people have been killed. All under accusations not proven in court. At the end of January, the families of two men from Trinidad and Tobago who died in the operations filed a lawsuit against the US government, asserting that both victims had no connection whatsoever with drug trafficking and were fishermen. The unilateral nature of the operations and the use of tactics reminiscent of the war against Al Qaeda led to the resignation of General Advin Holsey, head of SOUTHCOM, in October of last year. Currently, the new head of the command for the Pacific and Caribbean region is Francis L. Donovan. The attacks against the alleged drug-running boats raised alarms among members of Congress, many of whom believed the president was conducting acts of war when no war had been declared against Venezuela. The legislators demanded explanations from the government, although after the military intervention in Caracas, the bombings of the vessels have been overshadowed as a minor issue.
