U.S. strikes 3 boats within the Pacific Ocean killing 8 individuals : NPR

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Alex Brandon/AP WASHINGTON — The U.S. navy mentioned Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling medication within the jap Pacific Ocean, killing a complete of eight individuals as scrutiny over the boat strikes is intensifying in Congress.

The navy mentioned in an announcement on social media that the strikes focused "designated terrorist organizations," killing three individuals within the first vessel, two within the second boat and three within the third boat. It did not present proof of their alleged drug trafficking however posted a video of a ship shifting by way of water earlier than exploding.

President Donald Trump has justified the assaults as a crucial escalation to stem the circulate of medicine into the US and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an "armed battle" with drug cartels. However the Trump administration is dealing with rising scrutiny from lawmakers over the boat strike marketing campaign, which has killed not less than 95 individuals in 25 identified strikes since early September, together with a follow-up strike that killed two survivors clinging to the wreckage of a ship after the primary hit.

The most recent boat strikes come on the eve of briefings on Capitol Hill for all members of Congress as questions mount over the Trump administration's navy marketing campaign.

Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and different high nationwide safety officers are anticipated to offer closed-door briefings for lawmakers within the Home and Senate.

The marketing campaign has ramped up stress on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has been charged with narcoterrorism within the U.S. In a pointy escalation final week, U.S. forces seized a sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration has accused of smuggling illicit crude. Maduro has insisted the actual function of the U.S. navy operations is to power him from workplace.

The U.S. navy has constructed up its largest presence within the area in a long time and launched a sequence of lethal strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats within the Caribbean Sea and jap Pacific Ocean. Trump says land assaults are coming quickly however has not provided any particulars on location.