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As stated by a high-ranking defense spokesperson, the US armed forces executed a lethal kinetic engagement on a boat in the eastern Pacific, killing four individuals.

“Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a deadly attack on a vessel linked to a Designated Terrorist Organization in open sea. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was traveling along a known narco-trafficking route and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. All four male drug traffickers were eliminated, and no American forces were harmed.”

Background and Recent Strikes

This announcement comes a day after a declaration regarding a naval blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela. In that announcement on online platforms, the US president accused Venezuela of using oil revenues to fund narcotics smuggling and criminal activities, pledging to escalate the military presence.

Only on the previous day, US defense officials said it had carried out strikes on three boats suspected of trafficking drugs in the Pacific, killing eight people. Since 2 September, more than 20 strikes have killed at least 99 people, the majority off the coast of Venezuela.

Government Defends Actions Amid Scrutiny

The administration has faced increasing demands to make public video of a 2 September vessel attack. But, the defense secretary have refused to do so. The administration has defended its efforts as a successful operation, arguing it has stopped drugs from reaching US shores and has dismissed concerns that it is exceeding the bounds of lawful warfare.

While the administration has said the campaign is about stopping drugs headed to the US, comments from a top official seemed to suggest a wider political objective. In a recently published interview, the senior advisor remarked the leader “wants to keep on destroying vessels until Venezuela's president surrenders or concedes.”

This suggests the series of strikes may be linked to a push to remove Venezuela's sitting government.