The United States military has killed two “narco-terrorists” and left one survivor in its latest attack on vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced the attack in a statement on Friday, accompanied by a video showing a moving boat being struck by a missile and bursting into flames.

SOUTHCOM oversees US military operations in the Caribbean and Latin America. It claimed the vessel was operated by “Designated Terrorist Organizations” but provided no evidence to support this assertion.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the statement said.

No military forces were harmed in the operation. This is the third attack in May, coming days after the US military reported killing three people in a similar strike.

Since the US began its operation in September targeting alleged narco-traffickers, it has killed over 170 people, though estimates vary.

Rights groups and international legal experts have described these attacks as extrajudicial killings, calling for the US to be held accountable. Experts argue that even if those on board were involved in drug trafficking, they should face legal proceedings rather than fatal attacks.

Families in Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago have spoken out after past attacks, insisting the victims were not “narco-terrorists” as the US regime claims, but fishermen and informal workers making routine journeys between the Caribbean and South America.

Source: www.aljazeera.com