Ecuador has released the survivor of a US strike on a submarine alleged to have been smuggling drugs in the Caribbean. US military forces captured the Ecuadorean national along with a Colombian citizen after they attacked the submarine the two were on. US President Donald Trump stated they would be returned to their respective countries for detention and prosecution. However, the Ecuadorean Attorney General's office reported that the Ecuadorean survivor could not be detained as there was no report of a crime pertaining to him.
Ecuadorean officials identified one of the survivors of the recent strike as Andrés Fernando Tufiño. Alongside him was Colombian national Jeison Obando Pérez, making them the first survivors of US strikes in this region as part of an extensive counter-narcotics operation. Two other men reportedly died in the attack.
The US military claims that at least 32 people have died in various strikes since early September, raising questions about the legality of these actions under international law. President Trump defended the operations, asserting they targeted narco-terrorists.
In response to media inquiries about the survivors, Trump described them as having been aboard a drug-carrying submarine, emphasizing that it was not an incident involving innocent individuals. However, drug trafficking experts criticize this claim, noting that fentanyl primarily enters the US from Mexico, not from Caribbean nations.
Around 10,000 US troops and multiple military assets are deployed in the Caribbean with the aim of intercepting narcotics smuggling operations originating mainly from Venezuela. President Trump also implicated Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leadership, in alleged drug trafficking activities, while Maduro has denied these accusations.
Overall, this incident highlights the escalating tensions and complex legal implications surrounding US military actions in the Caribbean aimed at combating drug trafficking.
Ecuadorean officials identified one of the survivors of the recent strike as Andrés Fernando Tufiño. Alongside him was Colombian national Jeison Obando Pérez, making them the first survivors of US strikes in this region as part of an extensive counter-narcotics operation. Two other men reportedly died in the attack.
The US military claims that at least 32 people have died in various strikes since early September, raising questions about the legality of these actions under international law. President Trump defended the operations, asserting they targeted narco-terrorists.
In response to media inquiries about the survivors, Trump described them as having been aboard a drug-carrying submarine, emphasizing that it was not an incident involving innocent individuals. However, drug trafficking experts criticize this claim, noting that fentanyl primarily enters the US from Mexico, not from Caribbean nations.
Around 10,000 US troops and multiple military assets are deployed in the Caribbean with the aim of intercepting narcotics smuggling operations originating mainly from Venezuela. President Trump also implicated Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan leadership, in alleged drug trafficking activities, while Maduro has denied these accusations.
Overall, this incident highlights the escalating tensions and complex legal implications surrounding US military actions in the Caribbean aimed at combating drug trafficking.
