US conducts 20th strike on alleged drug boat
PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — An MQ-9 Reaper is seen at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., March 31, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christian Clausen)
The United States conducted its 20th strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat on Monday, CNN reported, citing a Defense Department official.
"The strike occurred in the Caribbean and four narco-terrorists were killed, no survivors," CNN quoted the official as saying in a statement on Thursday.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The U.S. strikes against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America have killed dozens of people, who President Donald Trump's administration calls drug-trafficking terrorists responsible for thousands of deaths in the United States, without providing evidence.
The U.S. government has not publicly explained the legal justification for its decision to attack the boats.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday pushed back against criticism from some U.S. allies over the legality of the strikes, saying Europeans don't get to dictate how Washington defends its national security.
(Reporting by Christian Martinez and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Jasper Ward and Diane Craft // REUTERS)
