US strike on Caribbean drug boat kills 2, leaves 6 survivors
Why it matters: The operation extends a disputed military campaign against suspected traffickers that critics call extrajudicial killings.
The U.S. military struck a vessel in the Caribbean on June 21, killing two people it described as male narco-terrorists and leaving six male survivors, U.S. Southern Command said. The command said intelligence indicated the boat was traveling on known drug-trafficking routes and involved in narcotics operations, but it did not identify the alleged terrorist groups tied to the vessel. Southern Command said no U.S. forces were hurt and that it alerted the U.S. Coast Guard to launch search-and-rescue efforts for the survivors. The strike is the latest in a Trump administration campaign targeting suspected traffickers, a tactic that rights groups and some lawmakers have criticized over due process and civilian risk.