Washington, Feb 17 (EFE). - The United States Armed Forces announced on Tuesday that they have destroyed three more boats linked to drug trafficking in the Pacific and the Caribbean, in an operation that has left eleven dead in total. The three attacks were carried out within the framework of Operation Southern Lance, which the U.S. has been implementing in the area of responsibility of the Southern Command (Central America, South America, and the Caribbean) and was activated with the primary objective of increasing tension around Nicolás Maduro, who was captured in an operation in Caracas by U.S. forces on January 3. "Late on the 16th of February, under the direction of the commander of the Southern Command, General Francis L. Donovan, the Southern Lance joint force conducted three kinetic lethal attacks against three vessels operated by designated terrorist organizations," the Southern Command reported in a statement published today. According to the text, Washington confirmed that the vessels were "transiting known drug trafficking routes and participating in drug trafficking operations." "Eleven male narcoterrorists died during these actions: four on the first vessel in the Eastern Pacific, four on the second vessel in the Eastern Pacific, and three on the third vessel in the Caribbean," the statement concludes. These three attacks come after another bombardment by the U.S. Armed Forces destroyed another suspected drug-launcher boat last Friday, causing the death of its three crew members. Since September, these extrajudicial attacks on supposed drug traffickers already exceed forty and have left around 150 dead. In response to criticism from those who believe Washington is not granting these supposed drug traffickers due process, the Donald Trump government has argued that its actions are justified because the Administration has declared war on several cartels and organizations linked to drug trafficking in Latin America.
