The US military has undertaken a campaign against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea using a variety of drones, gunships, and fighter jets, according to people familiar with the assets being deployed.
Most of the strikes have been carried out using MQ-9 Reaper drones, the sources said, which are remotely piloted aircraft used by the military and are typically armed with Hellfire missiles. Other strikes have been conducted by manned aircraft, including AC-130J gunships and fighter jets, the sources said.
To date the Pentagon has not publicly acknowledged what aircraft or hardware the military is using to conduct the strikes.
Since early September, the US military has killed 76 people in 19 strikes that have destroyed 20 boats as part of a campaign that Washington says is aimed at curtailing the flow of drugs into the United States.
The US military has concentrated many of its assets in Puerto Rico, including the MQ-9 drones, F-35 fighter jets, and at le
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