St Lucia PM confirms ‘lost lives’ in latest US strike against alleged drug dealers

CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – Prime Minister Phillip Pierre Monday said the St Lucia government “is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels” after confirming that “people lost their lives” in the latest United States military strike against illegal drug dealers in the Caribbean Sea.

“Today, I addressed reports circulating across the region that have raised concern among our citizens. Let me assure the nation: The Government of St Lucia is actively engaging through established diplomatic and security channels to verify the facts. We will communicate confirmed information to the public promptly and responsibly,” Pierre said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

But speaking at the weekly news conference ahead of the Cabinet meeting, Pierre told reporters, “I can confirm that people lost their lives, and to the circumstances I have got no official notification on the circumstances surrounding their deaths”.

Asked by reporters whether those killed were St Lucians, Pierre repeated, “I can confirm that people lost their lives, but I got no official notification on anything else.

“The issue is being investigated by the powers responsible for investigations,” he added.

Last Friday, the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said that at the direction of SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan, the “Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Caribbean and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No US military forces were harmed,” SOUTHCOM said in a statement.

SOUTHCOM has since released a video of the attack that appears to show a missile strike on the boat, which then explodes into flames, leaving the vessel obliterated.

Last Saturday, the St Vincent Times newspaper published photographs that it said were the remnants of an alleged drug boat blown up in a lethal strike by the US military last week that surfaced off Canouan, one of the Grenadine islands.

It said that the discovery was made by a group of fishermen from the mainland who had indicated that no bodies were seen floating in the area.

The newspaper reported that the fishermen who made the discovery said the bow of the boat was still visible, with the engine and most of the hull submerged.

“The nationality of those killed in the strike was not detailed by the US military. However, St Vincent Times understands from several sources that three St Lucians who went out to sea last week Monday have been missing since.”

The paper said that the location of the find raises questions about whether the boat was blown up in international waters or in the territorial waters of St Vincent.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines government has not made any statement on the matter and the police have also not issued a statement.

International law and human rights experts have repeatedly said such attacks by the Donald Trump administration amount to extrajudicial executions, even if those targeted are alleged to be engaged in trafficking drugs.

Last month, the families of two Trinidadian men killed in a US strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat filed a lawsuit against the American government.

Lawyers filed the claim in federal court in Boston on behalf of relatives of Chad Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, who were among six men killed off the coast of Venezuela on October 14 last year.

One of the lawyers said in a statement that the strike amounted to “lawless killings in cold blood; killings for sport and killings for theatre”.

The US has struck at least 36 vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September last year, killing more than 120 people, with the Trump administration saying it is targeting “narco-terrorists” carrying drugs that kill Americans.

In his statement, Pierre said in “matters affecting national security and regional stability, speculation has no place.

“Our approach is disciplined, fact-based, and guided by the singular priority of protecting the people and interests of St Lucia,” he added.

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