The U.S. military carried out an attack; a deadly strike VIDEO

According to available data, at least 119 people have died so far in attacks on vessels suspected of drug trafficking as part of the campaign called “Operation Southern Spear,” which, according to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to curb drug smuggling.

This is the second known strike on a vessel this year, following a January attack that killed two people and left one survivor. The administration has reportedly provided little public evidence linking those killed in previous strikes to drug cartels or confirming that the targeted vessels were transporting narcotics.

During a briefing in Congress, military officials admitted that they do not know the identities of all the people on the targeted vessels.

U.S. officials stated that the attacks on ships and the increased military presence in the Caribbean are aimed at stopping the flow of drugs into the United States. However, some administration officials had previously privately acknowledged that the real goal of the pressure campaign was to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The families of two men believed to have been killed in a military strike on a ship last October filed a lawsuit last week against the U.S. government, alleging wrongful death and extrajudicial killing.