El Pentágono Cambia su Enfoque hacia el Pacífico en Operaciones Antinarcóticos

"...raising more questions about the true purpose of the US military buildup in the Caribbean Sea..."

"...fears are rising about increasing U.S. military activity near Venezuela and concerns that the campaign could destabilize the region..."

"...sparking concerns among Democratic lawmakers and legal experts about the legality and nature of military involvement in what is usually a law enforcement matter..."

"...the administration has faced criticism for not providing evidence linking the targets to drug cartels..."

"...the campaign has sparked increasing dissent from members of Trump's own Republican Party, who question the legality and lack of congressional oversight or authorization for such military actions..."

"...the strikes are part of a broader regional pressure strategy, including increasing naval presence near Venezuela, though Trump denies pursuing regime change there..."

"...critics, including Colombian President Gustavo Petro, condemned the attacks, labeling them a breach of international law..."

"...legal experts question the military's role over the Coast Guard’s and the lack of transparency regarding evidence linking the vessels to drug trafficking..."

"...the strikes coincide with a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and occur despite earlier Coast Guard success under Operation Viper, which seized over 100,000 pounds of cocaine this year..."

"...the campaign has also heightened tensions with Venezuela and Colombia..."

"...Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the U.S. of seeking regime change, while Washington has doubled the reward for Maduro’s arrest over alleged drug trafficking ties, which he denies..."

"...the Trump administration has not made public any evidence verifying its claims that the targets of the attacks were confirmed drug smugglers or that the boats involved were in fact carrying illicit drugs..."

"...the Pentagon has provided limited information, and there are growing concerns over the lack of clarity about the identities of those targeted and the long-term implications of this military campaign..."

"...the latest strikes in the Pacific Ocean open a new front in President Donald Trump’s growing military campaign against Latin American cartels, fueling questions about the limits and legality of his actions..."

"...the Trump administration has not provided Congress with evidence to back up its claims that the 15 vessels the military has struck since September in both the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing at least 61 people, were ferrying drugs and carrying known drug traffickers..."

"...during a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this week, Pentagon officials also told lawmakers they do not know how to gauge success in the ongoing military campaign, according to a source familiar with the closed-door session..."

"...Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs said following the briefing on Thursday that administration officials confirmed that they do not necessarily know the individual identities of each person on board a vessel before they attack it..."

"...military officials also told lawmakers on Thursday that the strikes were targeting cocaine, not fentanyl..."

"...Democrats and Republicans also want a better explanation of the legal justification for the strikes, but military lawyers have been conspicuously absent from recent congressional briefings..."

"...without the lawyers there, Democrats said the briefers could not fully answer their questions about the legality of the strikes..."

"...Hegseth told reporters on Friday while traveling in Asia that he had engaged with Congress on a bipartisan basis about the strikes..."

"...the letters requested the execute orders for the US military strikes on the boats, and the Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion that CNN has reported the administration is leaning on to legally justify the strikes..."

"...some Republican senators were shown the OLC memo by administration officials during a briefing on Wednesday, infuriating Democrats who were not invited to the briefing and have still not seen document..."

"...Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner called the move "a partisan stunt" that "is a slap in the face to Congress’ war powers responsibilities and to the men and women who serve this country"..."