The US military announced Thursday night the deaths of five alleged “narco-terrorists” in two attacks on vessels in Pacific waters, bringing the death toll to at least 104 since the start of Washington's anti-drug campaign in the region.

“Intelligence It was confirmed that the vessels were traveling along known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were involved in drug trafficking operations. A total of five narco-terrorists were killed during these actions,” said Southern Command on its Twitter account. Three people were killed in the first attack and the other two on the second vessel, the military indicated in a social media post on December 18. “On December 18, under the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes against two vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” they wrote. More than 100 people have died in the bombings. According to an AFP tally based on official information, with this new attack, the death toll from US bombings in the Pacific and Caribbean exceeds one hundred. The administration of President Donald Trump did not has provided evidence that the vessels are involved in drug trafficking, which has sparked an intense debate about the legal framework of the operations. “A total of five male narco-terrorists died during these actions,” they confirmed. Lawmakers from both the Democratic opposition and the Republican majority in Congress believe that the president does not have the legal authority to carry out these attacks. However, the House of Representatives rejected two bills that sought to regulate these operations by law. Similar measures also failed in the Senate. The campaign comes as the United States government increases pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro, whom it accuses of heading a drug trafficking network.