US Hits Another Alleged Drug Vessel, This One in Pacific

The US has carried out its eighth attack on an alleged drug vessel since early September, this time targeting a boat in the Pacific off Colombia, reports the New York Times. The Tuesday night strike marks the first outside the Caribbean, where the previous seven incidents occurred. According to US officials, two or three people aboard the vessel were killed in the latest operation, though no information on nationality was provided. So far, at least 34 people have died in these strikes by CBS News' count.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona appeared Sunday on Face the Nation and said Congress had received little clarity from administration officials about the legal basis for attacking these vessels, per CBS News. Lawmakers were told of a classified list naming more than 20 drug trafficking organizations, but the list itself wasn't shared with Congress. The Trump administration has justified the strikes by claiming the US is engaged in a "non-international armed conflict" with drug cartels, arguing that the narcotics they smuggle lead to tens of thousands of American deaths each year and thus constitute an "armed attack." The Times notes US data shows most of the cocaine that enters the US comes via the Pacific, not the Caribbean.