The US military has launched a fresh round of deadly strikes on foreign vessels suspected of trafficking narcotics.
The US Southern Command posted footage of the strikes on social media on Monday, announcing it had hit three vessels in international waters, killing a total of eight men.
“Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking,” US Southern Command said in a post on X.
The black-and-white footage showed the vessels moving through the water before being consumed by large explosions.
The US has struck more than 20 vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean near Venezuela as part of Donald Trump’s escalating campaign against drug trafficking in the region. At least 90 suspected drug smugglers have been killed in the process.
The use of the military to attack suspected drug vessels marks a stark departure from historical precedent. The attacks have come under increasing scrutiny, with some legal experts saying they amount to unlawful extrajudicial killings.