‘We were terrified they were going to kill us’: fishers who survived US boat strike speak out
Summary
A group of Ecuadorian fishers said they were attacked by drones and then detained at gunpoint by soldiers on a US-flagged patrol vessel near the Galápagos Islands. The US military has been carrying out airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats in the region, but no evidence was given that the fishing vessel was involved in drug activity.Key Facts
- The fishing boat Don Maca was hit by two drone strikes about 200 miles northwest of the Galápagos Islands.
- The attack happened on March 26 while the crew was fishing for swordfish and albacore.
- Several crew members were injured by the explosion and shrapnel.
- After the drone strikes, a US patrol boat approached, boarded the fishing boat, and took the crew’s phones and some personal items.
- The US personnel handcuffed the fishers, covered their heads, and detained them for hours before transferring them to another patrol boat and later to El Salvador.
- At least 178 people have died in US military airstrikes in the Caribbean and Pacific since September.
- Legal experts question the legality of the strikes and say civilians may have been wrongly targeted.
- The US government says these operations are lawful and part of a campaign against drug trafficking.
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