The U.S. military struck three more vessels this week accused of smuggling narcotics on New Year's Eve, killing three people as desperate crew members bailed into the ocean for their lives.
U.S. Southern Command, which runs military operations across South America, kept tight-lipped about where the explosive attacks happened, though previous strikes have targeted waters in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
A video released by Southern Command shows three boats hugging close together — an unusual maneuver — as they traveled along known drug-trafficking corridors, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. The military claimed the vessels were part of a convoy that "had transferred narcotics between the three vessels prior to the strikes." No proof was provided to back up the allegation.
Three people were killed when the first boat took fire. Crews aboard the other two vessels leaped overboard and swam away before their ships were attacked. Southern Command then alerted the Coast Guard to search for survivors.
The Tuesday assault marks the latest in a controversial bombing campaign on alleged narcotic traffickers. The Coast Guard call-in comes as the military faces intense scrutiny after U.S. forces killed survivors from a September attack by striking their crippled vessel a second time. Democratic lawmakers and legal experts cried foul, alleging war crimes, while the Trump administration and GOP allies insisted the second strike was justified.
The tally now sits at 33 boat strikes and at least 110 deaths since early September, according to Trump administration figures.