Latest US air strike in the Pacific kills 'narco-terrorists', taking toll to 202
According to ABC News Australia, the US military said its air strike on a boat suspected of carrying narcotics in the eastern Pacific Ocean killed individuals it described as 'narco-terrorists'. The total death toll in the months-long campaign has risen to 202; Latin American governments continue to question cross-border due process.
ABC News AustraliaAccording to ABC News Australia, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the latest operation in the eastern Pacific Ocean, run under Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), is part of the months-long 'narco-terror' campaign. The cumulative death toll across the Caribbean and Pacific now stands at 202; US Coast Guard officials cite seized cocaine and fentanyl volumes.
Colombian presidential spokesperson Laura Sarabia and Venezuela's Foreign Ministry restated concerns that the air strikes may be inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, while Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa said interventions conducted without consulting regional states raise sovereignty questions. Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Tim Kaine repeated his call for Congressional authorisation.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said intelligence on the operation is being shared with allies under national-security information-sharing protocols. Pacific Island states and CARICOM said they will open a diplomatic coordination table next month. This piece is not legal advice.
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