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US forces have killed four persons in an operation on a vessel near Venezuela that was allegedly carrying illegal substances, as stated by Pentagon chief announcements.

"The strike was carried out in open seas just near Venezuela while the ship was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics - headed to America to endanger our population," military representatives declared in a government release.

This marks the latest in a series of recent deadly strikes that the US has conducted on vessels in global maritime zones it asserts are involved in "drug smuggling".

The operations have drawn criticism in countries like Venezuela and Colombia, with some international lawyers labeling the attacks as a infringement of worldwide jurisprudence.

Mission Information

Military officials indicated the operation was conducted in the US military command's operational zone, which includes the majority of South America and the Caribbean.

"Our intelligence, unquestionably, verified that this boat was transporting drugs, the people on the vessel were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a recognized narcotics transportation shipping lane," military leaders stated about the recent strike.

"Such operations will persist until the threats on the American people are over!!!!"

US President furthermore confirmed the operation on social media, claiming that the vessel was transporting sufficient narcotics "to fatally harm 25 to 50 thousand individuals".

Questions and Controversy

However, the US has failed to supply verification for its claims or any details about the personal details of those on board.

There was no immediate response from Venezuela but its leader has previously denounced the strikes and declared his nation will guard against against US "military intervention".

This latest lethal operation is the fourth such by the US in a month.

Before this, military leaders had confirmed that 11 people had been fatally struck in a strike against a illegal substances-bearing vessel in the southern Caribbean at the commencement of September.

Subsequently in the month, two different attacks within days of each other resulted in the deaths of a combined six individuals.

Jurisdictional Context

This Thursday, a confidential communication provided to Congress – reported by journalistic sources – indicated the US administration had now concluded it was in a "non-international armed conflict" with trafficking groups.

This is notable because the government is required by law to inform Congress if it will deploy the armed forces, which indicates it intends to use further military action.

The US has framed its attacks on alleged narcotics vessels as self-protection, regardless of many lawyers challenging their lawfulness.

Framing this as an ongoing military confrontation is probably a approach to defend using more extreme combat privileges – for example neutralizing "adversaries" even if they have not demonstrated a physical risk, or imprisoning people indefinitely.

These are comparable powers to those implemented regarding other organizations in earlier military situations.

Administration representatives have not provided the rationale for why they seem to be categorizing narcotics smuggling and associated crimes as an "military assault", or named which organizations they believe are threatening the US.

Authorities have already categorized many cartels, such as those in Mexico, Ecuador and Venezuela, as threat entities – providing US officials enhanced authorities in their reaction to them.