This brings the death toll in the escalation in international waters in recent months to 80, in 20 known attacks.
It is unclear exactly when the attack took place. CBS Defense sources said it was Monday, while The New York Times said it was Wednesday. There has been no announcement from the military or the Department of Defense.
The US government claims that the boats were brought in by drug smugglers, but they have not been prosecuted as such and no evidence has been presented. The government also argues that these are legitimate attacks in the context of an armed conflict against “narco-terrorists.”
Lawyers and analysts describe it rather as extrajudicial executions carried out by the United States in international waters, in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean.
