US Southern CommandThe US military says it has carried out strikes on three boats it has accused of trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean, killing eight people.
The US Southern Command posted footage of the strikes on social media and said the vessels were “transiting along known narco-trafficking routes… and were engaged in narco-trafficking”.
More than 20 vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean have been targeted in recent months, killing at least 90 people, as part of President Donald Trump’s escalating campaign against gangs he accuses of transporting drugs in the region.
Some experts say the strikes could violate laws governing armed conflict.
The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of funnelling narcotics into the US and has intensified its efforts to isolate President Nicolas Maduro in recent months.
Thousands of troops and the USS Gerald Ford have been positioned within striking distance of Venezuela.
On 10 December, US forces seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast, which it claimed was being used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran in an “illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organisations”.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil called the seizure “international piracy” and has claimed Trump wants Venezuela’s energy resources.
The South American nation – home to some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves – also accuses Washington of seeking to steal its resources.