US Military Reveals Higher Death Toll in Boat Strike Campaign, Experts Slam Strikes as Extrajudicial Killings.
The US military has updated the death toll from its campaign targeting alleged drug smuggling boats, confirming that a total of 123 people have been killed since September. The increased figure was revealed by Colonel Emanuel Ortiz, the chief of public affairs for Southern Command, who provided new details about the December 30 attack on three vessels that left eight people dead, with four others leaping into the Pacific Ocean to avoid being killed.
According to Ortiz, the US military had initially reported only three deaths from the December 30 attack but later revealed that the survivors of the initial strike were presumed dead after a follow-up engagement sank their vessel. The updated toll includes 114 narco-terrorist deaths and nine people who were either killed or presumed dead during kinetic engagements.
Critics have labeled the strikes as extrajudicial killings, arguing that they violate international laws of war. William Baumgartner, a retired US Coast Guard rear admiral, described the destruction of the vessels as "essentially the same as putting a gun to their head."
As the US military's campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats continues, concerns over human rights and accountability remain high. The Intercept has been at the forefront in exposing these issues, with editor-in-chief Ben Messig urging readers to help expand its reporting capacity to address the challenges facing democracy.
The situation highlights the need for scrutiny of government actions and a commitment to press freedom in defending democracy. As one of the few remaining independent news outlets, The Intercept is dedicated to holding those in power accountable while providing critical coverage of pressing issues.
To continue this essential work, readers can help by supporting its efforts to expand its reporting capacity. With the stakes higher than ever, it is crucial that journalism continues to prioritize truth and transparency in the face of adversity.
The US military has updated the death toll from its campaign targeting alleged drug smuggling boats, confirming that a total of 123 people have been killed since September. The increased figure was revealed by Colonel Emanuel Ortiz, the chief of public affairs for Southern Command, who provided new details about the December 30 attack on three vessels that left eight people dead, with four others leaping into the Pacific Ocean to avoid being killed.
According to Ortiz, the US military had initially reported only three deaths from the December 30 attack but later revealed that the survivors of the initial strike were presumed dead after a follow-up engagement sank their vessel. The updated toll includes 114 narco-terrorist deaths and nine people who were either killed or presumed dead during kinetic engagements.
Critics have labeled the strikes as extrajudicial killings, arguing that they violate international laws of war. William Baumgartner, a retired US Coast Guard rear admiral, described the destruction of the vessels as "essentially the same as putting a gun to their head."
As the US military's campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats continues, concerns over human rights and accountability remain high. The Intercept has been at the forefront in exposing these issues, with editor-in-chief Ben Messig urging readers to help expand its reporting capacity to address the challenges facing democracy.
The situation highlights the need for scrutiny of government actions and a commitment to press freedom in defending democracy. As one of the few remaining independent news outlets, The Intercept is dedicated to holding those in power accountable while providing critical coverage of pressing issues.
To continue this essential work, readers can help by supporting its efforts to expand its reporting capacity. With the stakes higher than ever, it is crucial that journalism continues to prioritize truth and transparency in the face of adversity.
I'm not convinced about these numbers... 123 deaths since September? That's a lot. And what really gets me is how quickly they changed their story on those three vessels attacked on Dec 30th. It sounds like some dodgy math was done there. I need to see more sources on this, you know? Can't just take someone's word for it. Also, who are these narco-terrorist groups we're talking about here? What concrete evidence do we have to back up all these claims? Just saying...
. I mean, we're talking about human lives here, people who were already vulnerable just because they were on a boat. The fact that the US military was able to kill so many innocent people without even trying them or having a trial is just disturbing. It's like they were just shooting first and asking questions later 
. And what really gets me is that these people were just trying to make a living, you know? They weren't doing anything wrong, but they got caught up in the crossfire.
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I'm thinking about the US military's campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats... 123 deaths now? That's way too high 
. I mean, we get that they're trying to stop narco-trafficking, but at what cost? 
It's like they're just throwing people into the Pacific Ocean instead of taking them in for questioning 
. And what about the vessels being sunk? That's just a huge amount of destruction and waste 
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. I mean, isn't that like, a big no-no in international law? 
It's like they're trying to sweep everything under the rug instead of taking responsibility for their actions 
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It sounds like they're trying to justify their actions by inflating the numbers.
. And what's with the narco-terrorist label? Is it just a fancy term for "people who were caught doing something wrong"? 
That's a pretty extreme analogy, even for someone as critical of the strikes as he is.
And what's with all the "extrajudicial killings" nonsense? If someone's caught smuggling, shouldn't they face justice... as in, actual justice through due process? But instead, we get to sit around and argue about whether it's cool or not 
. I just don't see why we're getting so worked up over this 
Like what's the point of even fighting if you're just gonna jump off a boat? 
. I don't think it's too much to ask for some accountability here... seems like they're just playing a game of "shoot first, ask questions later" 
. The fact that some people are dying in the crossfire is a sad but unfortunate reality of war. We can't just expect our military to be like "oh, sorry about the collateral damage" and start playing by international law's rules... that's not how it works 
. Besides, if the narco-terrorists were really innocent, wouldn't they have been trying to stop themselves from getting caught? 
. The Intercept's doing great work, though, exposing all this and pushing for truth and transparency. We need more of that, I guess 
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. Maybe instead of demonizing the US military, we should focus on getting more transparency about what's really going on in these operations 
. And the way they're framing it as 'extrajudicial killings' makes me think they're not being entirely honest about what's going on 
. We need more transparency and accountability, like The Intercept is trying to do 
. Let's hope the US military reconsiders their actions and prioritizes human life over military might 
. 123 people?! That's just insane. And it's all because they're targeting these alleged drug smuggling boats... but are those people even guilty of anything? 
. It's all about holding those in power accountable and making sure we have a free press. That's what democracy is all about, right? 
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But somehow, it's okay to happen here? That's not good enough for me 
. The US military needs to come clean about what's really going on and take responsibility for these actions 
. The Intercept is doing some amazing work exposing these issues, but we need more voices on the streets demanding change 
. The Intercept is doing some great work exposing this stuff, but it's a reminder that we need a free press now more than ever 
. And what about those survivors who were left for dead after their boats sank? That's just cold 
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. Meanwhile, only 15% were adult males 
. So what's goin' on here? Was it a strategic move to take out key leaders or just a straight-up shoot 'em in the foot approach 
