The US military says it struck two boats it alleges were carrying drugs on Wednesday, killing five people on board.
US Southern Command did not specify the location of the strikes but has been targeting vessels suspected of smuggling narcotics through the Caribbean and eastern Pacific over the past three months.
Wednesday's strike followed another on Tuesday that targeted a group of three suspected narco-trafficking vessels, resulting in at least three fatalities.
Under the Trump administration, these operations are described as part of a non-international armed conflict against traffickers. However, legal experts have raised concerns that they may violate the laws governing such conflicts.
To date, there have been over 30 strikes in this ongoing 'war on drugs', leading to more than 110 reported deaths since the first attack on September 2nd. This initial attack has faced scrutiny, especially after it was revealed that a 'double-tap' strike had killed survivors who were clinging to the destroyed boat.
Some lawmakers in Washington have questioned the legality of the tactics employed, particularly regarding engagement protocols during armed conflict.
In relation to the recent strikes, US Southern Command announced that a number of survivors were present following the attacks but provided few details regarding their status. Reports indicated that eight survivors were being searched for, though their whereabouts remain unclear.
Despite the lack of publicly available evidence proving the vessels were indeed carrying narcotics, US Southern Command has reiterated that 'intelligence confirmed the vessels were transiting known narco-trafficking routes'.
