US military strikes another vessel in eastern Pacific, killing 2 – Firstpost

The US military has conducted a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two people. The strikes were conducted as the vessel was travelling along “narco-trafficking routes”.

“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” the US Southern Command said.

The latest attack is the first one ordered by the US military since President Donald Trump authorised the capture of President Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela earlier this month.

The statement added that two “narco-terrorists” were killed in the operation, and the search for a survivor is underway. The US Southern Command released a video of the strike that showed a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.

Since early September, the Trump administration has ramped up maritime enforcement off the coast of South America, resulting in over 30 US military strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels. According to the Associated Press, these operations have led to the deaths of more than 100 individuals.

However, the US military has shifted its focus to seizing oil tankers linked to Venezuela. Just last week, the US forces in the Caribbean Sea seized an oil tanker that Trump said had ties to Venezuela.

Venezuelan Parliament banks opening up oil sector

Venezuelan lawmakers on Thursday gave their initial backing to plans to throw open the oil sector to private investors, paving the way for the return of US energy majors – a key demand of President Donald Trump.

Less than three weeks after the US ouster of Nicolas Maduro, MPs endorsed on first reading a bill allowing private companies to independently engage in oil exploration and extraction. If adopted on a second reading, the bill would roll back decades of state controls over Venezuela’s oil sector, which were tightened by Maduro’s late mentor, socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez, in the mid-2000s.

The bill has been promoted by Maduro’s former deputy, acting president Delcy Rodriguez, who has overseen a lightning-fast thaw in ties with Washington since taking the helm.

With inputs from agencies