WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same daythe House rejected effortsto limitPresident Donald Trump'spower to use military force against drug cartels.
U.S. Southern Command stated on social media that the vessel was operated by narco-terrorists along a known trafficking route. The military didn't provide evidence behind the allegations but posted a video of a boat moving through water before there was an explosion.
The attack broughtthe total number of known boat strikesto 26 while at least 99 people have been killed, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration. Trump hasjustified the attacksas a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an"armed conflict" with drug cartels.
The administration is facingincreasing scrutiny from lawmakersover the boat strike campaign. The first attack in early September involveda follow-up strike that killed two survivorsclinging to the wreckage of a boat after the first hit.
House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions Wednesday that would have forced the Trump administration to seek authorization from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels. They were the first votes in the House on Trump's military campaign in Central and South America. A majority of Republicans in the Senate hadpreviously voted against similar resolutions, and Trump would almost certainly veto them if they were to pass Congress.
