Two Killed in US Military Strike on Pacific Vessel

The US military on Friday announced a strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific suspected of carrying drugs, killing two men and leaving one survivor. US Southern Command said it had notified the Coast Guard of the survivor to ensure search and rescue operations.

The United States has carried out repeated strikes on vessels in the Eastern Pacific in recent weeks as part of what it describes as operations against narcotics smuggling, conducting similar raids in the Caribbean as well.

Since September, US strikes on such vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean have killed more than 190 people.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have criticized the raids as unlawful extrajudicial killings. The US military argues they are a legitimate part of its counter-narcotics operations.

(reuters, lud)