Narrative thread · 1 event
Symbolic imageReuters reported on Saturday that US forces have destroyed 67 boats and killed more than 220 people since September under Operation Southern Spear, while Ecuadorean fishermen describe two further strikes Washington has not claimed and the Washington Post ties to a covert CIA effort.
The US military has been attacking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific that Washington says carry drugs, destroying them instead of intercepting and prosecuting the crews. The campaign, called Operation Southern Spear, has run since September and sets Washington against alleged traffickers, with fishing communities in Latin America among those affected.
US strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have killed fishermen and civilians, with no case reaching a court. Ecuadorean survivors describe attacks Washington never claimed.