6 More Killed In Eastern Pacific Boat Strike

The Defense Department said on Sunday that it had blown up a boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean earlier in the day, killing six people. The strike raised the death toll in the  campaign by the United States against people it accuses of smuggling drugs at sea to at least 156

The U.S. Southern Command announced the strike on social media with an 11-second video clip that showed a stationary boat, with two or three outboard engines, floating in the water and then suddenly exploding.

Legal specialists on the use of lethal force have said the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings because the military cannot deliberately target civilians who do not pose an imminent threat of violence, even if suspected of engaging in criminal acts. The Trump administration has not provided evidence of drug smuggling.

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Editor:  If the government believes they are committing crimes, they need to be arrested and tried.  Murdering people on suspicion of crimes is just wrong.  Everyone, even drug couriers, have the right to a fair trial, which isn't being provided by missiles.