American forces destroy two boats in the East Pacific.

The American army declared on Sunday that it had destroyed two boats suspected of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in five deaths and one survivor, as the Trump administration continues its campaign against suspected drug traffickers in Latin America while preparing for a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The attacks on Saturday bring the number of people killed in American military strikes on boats to at least 168 since the Trump administration began targeting what they call “narcoterrorists” in early September.

As with most of the army’s communications regarding the dozens of strikes in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, the US Southern Command stated that they targeted suspected drug traffickers along known smuggling routes.

The army provided no evidence that the ship was carrying drugs. Videos posted on X showed small boats moving on the water before being engulfed by a blinding explosion.

The US Southern Command stated on X that they had requested the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivor. The Coast Guard confirmed that they were coordinating the search and would provide information as it became available.

President Donald Trump stated that the United States was engaged in an “armed conflict” with the Latin American cartels and justified these attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs to the United States and the deadly overdoses affecting Americans.

However, his administration has provided little evidence to support their claims of targeting “narcoterrorists.”

Critics have questioned the overall legality and effectiveness of the strikes on boats, partly because fentanyl, the origin of many deadly overdoses, is generally trafficked to the US by land from Mexico, where it is produced from chemicals imported from China and India.

Middle East

The strikes on boats continued in Latin America, even as the US military focused on operations in the Middle East, where the United States has been at war with Iran for several weeks.

Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the US Navy would establish a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after cease-fire talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan failed.

He aims to weaken Iran’s main leverage in this conflict after demanding the reopening of this crucial waterway through which normally 20% of the world’s oil transits. The US Central Command specified that the blockade would target Iranian ports.