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According to a senior military official, the American military carried out a fatal kinetic engagement on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing four people.

“Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a craft linked to a terrorist group in international waters. Intelligence verified the vessel was traveling along a known drug smuggling route and was involved in narco-trafficking operations. All four male drug traffickers were killed, and no US military forces were harmed.”

Context and Recent Strikes

This announcement follows a day after an announcement regarding a naval blockade of all targeted oil tankers to and from Venezuela. In that announcement on online platforms, the American leader accused Venezuela of using oil profits to fund drug trafficking and other crimes, pledging to escalate the military presence.

Just on the previous day, US defense officials said it had conducted strikes on three boats it accused of smuggling narcotics in the Pacific, leading to the deaths of eight people. Beginning on 2 September, more than 20 strikes have killed at least 99 people, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.

Government Justifies Tactics Amidst Pressure

The administration has encountered increasing pressure to make public video of a September 2nd vessel attack. However, the defense secretary have refused to do so. The administration has supported its campaign as a success, arguing it has stopped drugs from reaching US shores and has dismissed concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of lawful warfare.

Although the administration has said the campaign is about stopping drugs headed to the US, comments from a senior aide seemed to suggest a wider geopolitical objective. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor said the leader “aims to keep on blowing boats up until the Venezuelan president cries uncle.”

This indicates the military campaign may be linked to a push to remove Venezuela's sitting government.