US Military Announces Higher Death Toll in Boat Strike Campaign, Exceeding Initial Estimate.
The US military has revised its count of fatalities from recent boat strikes to include eight more civilians killed on December 30. According to Colonel Emanuel Ortiz, Southern Command's chief of public affairs, the updated death toll now stands at 123 people, with 114 of them being narco-terrorists killed during kinetic engagements.
The revised figures reflect a significant increase in casualties from the initial estimate provided by the US military last month. The December 30 incident, which involved striking three vessels and killing an unspecified number of crew members who leapt into the Pacific Ocean, was initially reported to have resulted in only three fatalities.
Following media reports highlighting discrepancies between the US military's initial account and its revised figures, Ortiz provided additional information on the incidents. "Eight narco-terrorists from the remaining two vessels, four in each, abandoned their vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels," Ortiz said.
The Southern Command chief also updated the tally of strikes, casualties, and vessels targeted since September 2, which now stands at 35 total kinetic strikes with 36 go-fast boats destroyed, including one semi-submersible and one low-profile vessel. The US military has been carrying out these strikes as part of its campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats in the region.
Experts have expressed concerns over the legality of the strikes, with some arguing that they amount to extrajudicial killings. William Baumgartner, a retired US Coast Guard rear admiral and former chief counsel, stated that while there may be legal distinctions between attacking survivors of previous incidents, the latest strikes still pose significant moral concerns.
The revised death toll has raised questions over the effectiveness and legitimacy of the US military's campaign against narco-terrorists in the region.
The US military has revised its count of fatalities from recent boat strikes to include eight more civilians killed on December 30. According to Colonel Emanuel Ortiz, Southern Command's chief of public affairs, the updated death toll now stands at 123 people, with 114 of them being narco-terrorists killed during kinetic engagements.
The revised figures reflect a significant increase in casualties from the initial estimate provided by the US military last month. The December 30 incident, which involved striking three vessels and killing an unspecified number of crew members who leapt into the Pacific Ocean, was initially reported to have resulted in only three fatalities.
Following media reports highlighting discrepancies between the US military's initial account and its revised figures, Ortiz provided additional information on the incidents. "Eight narco-terrorists from the remaining two vessels, four in each, abandoned their vessels, jumping overboard and distancing themselves before follow-on engagements sank their respective vessels," Ortiz said.
The Southern Command chief also updated the tally of strikes, casualties, and vessels targeted since September 2, which now stands at 35 total kinetic strikes with 36 go-fast boats destroyed, including one semi-submersible and one low-profile vessel. The US military has been carrying out these strikes as part of its campaign against alleged drug smuggling boats in the region.
Experts have expressed concerns over the legality of the strikes, with some arguing that they amount to extrajudicial killings. William Baumgartner, a retired US Coast Guard rear admiral and former chief counsel, stated that while there may be legal distinctions between attacking survivors of previous incidents, the latest strikes still pose significant moral concerns.
The revised death toll has raised questions over the effectiveness and legitimacy of the US military's campaign against narco-terrorists in the region.
. I mean, an additional 8 civilians killed on December 30 takes the total death toll to 123, which is already a staggering number 
. It raises so many questions about accountability and the rules of engagement in this conflict 
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. And now, with experts like William Baumgartner questioning the morality of these strikes, it's hard not to wonder whether this campaign is truly effective in its goals 
.
. It seems like we need a more nuanced understanding of what's going on here 
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. I was reading about it earlier, and I'm just trying to wrap my head around the numbers. 123 people dead, including civilians? It's crazy how quickly things can escalate into chaos. And now they're saying that some of those victims even jumped overboard on purpose, like they were trying to escape? 
. At the end of the day, it's all about the bigger picture - are these strikes actually making a dent in the narco-terrorist underworld, or is it just a matter of numbers 
It's like, we're trying to fight a good war, but at what cost? I think it's time for us to rethink our approach and make sure we're not targeting innocent people by mistake. Those eight extra civilians who were killed on December 30 could've been family members or loved ones, you know? 
It's just not right that they're not being accounted for in the initial count.
I'm not saying we should stop the campaign entirely, but maybe we should find a way to do it that doesn't put so many lives at risk.
I'm really worried about the civilians caught up in this US military campaign. 8 more people lost their lives, that's not just numbers on a page, those are people with families, friends... 
It's crazy how the death toll kept increasing and now we're talking about over 100 people killed. The fact that narco-terrorists were the main victims isn't changing the fact that civilians got caught in the crossfire too.
Can't we find a way to tackle this without putting so many lives at risk? 
i dont get why they cant just leave these boats alone theyre not even doing anything bad to anyone its all about the money and power for them 
i feel bad for the civilians who got caught in the crossfire like how can you just abandon your ship and jump into the ocean 
. it sounds like they're targeting anyone who tries to flee, which is basically cowardly 
. can we at least get some transparency on what's really going on here? the military says the targets were narco-terrorists but what does that even mean 
It's like, they wanted to make a point or something 
and now we gotta question everything. I mean, 8 more civilians died on Dec 30? How did they even keep track of who was still alive after those boat strikes? 
And what's with the narco-terrorists being like "oh no, I'm gonna jump into the ocean and save myself"? 
Come on guys! You're not buying that narrative. It's like they want us to believe it was all a big misunderstanding 
and we should just trust them without any evidence. But what about the moral concerns? Doesn't that count for anything? 
and yeah i'm with wiliam baumgartner on this one - extrajudicial killings are still not cool no matter how you spin it 
It's like they're trying to make this whole operation seem legit, but at what cost? 