US Forces Sink Ecuadorian Fishing Boats in Anti-Drug Operations
· World · The Guardian, The Hindu
US forces have sunk multiple Ecuadorian fishing vessels in the eastern Pacific, citing intelligence that the boats were being used as floating refueling stations for drug-trafficking speedboats. The operations, which have the support of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, involve removing crews before destroying the vessels. Captain Mero Calderón and other fishers have denied the allegations, stating they were working legally when their boat, the Don Rufo, was intercepted and destroyed. Donald Trump has compared these anti-drug efforts to the campaign against ISIS, advocating for the detention or removal of those involved.
Why it matters
The destruction of these vessels has raised humanitarian concerns regarding the livelihoods of local fishers while signaling a more aggressive US-led military strategy against drug trafficking in Latin America.
Read the original report — The Guardian
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