CIA Conducts Covert Attacks on Ecuadorian Fishing Vessels
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is reportedly conducting covert operations that involve bombing fishing boats off the coast of Ecuador. This activity is said to be distinct from the Trump administration's boat strike campaign, which has already drawn scrutiny regarding U.S. military actions in the region. According to a report from The Washington Post, the CIA has been involved in surveillance flights leading up to attacks on three vessels near the Galápagos Islands in January and March. Notably, the U.S. government has not provided evidence that these boats were engaged in any illicit activities, with survivors asserting that they were simply fishing and had no ties to drug trafficking.
One of the vessels, known as the Fiorella, disappeared on January 20, along with its eight crew members, who are now presumed dead by the United Nations. Prior to the incident, crew members reported seeing drones in the vicinity and a vessel displaying U.S. markings. Survivors of the attacks have recounted harrowing experiences, stating they were abducted at gunpoint after the strikes, tortured, and taken to El Salvador before being returned to Ecuador without explanation.
Human rights experts have expressed alarm over these attacks and have called for investigations into U.S. involvement. While previous reports have confirmed U.S. participation in similar operations, the specific links to the CIA have raised new concerns about the motivations behind these secretive strikes. The surveillance flights preceding the attacks reportedly originated from Ilopango Airport in El Salvador, with a plane that had arrived from Tennessee in November. This aircraft, which operates under a U.S. registration number not listed with the Federal Aviation Administration, has been linked to CIA activities.
The attacks bear similarities to those conducted under Operation Southern Spear, the Trump administration's campaign against what it labels 'narco-terrorism' in the region. Critics have condemned these strikes, which have resulted in numerous fatalities, as lacking legal justification. Despite mounting evidence and calls for accountability, the U.S. government has remained silent regarding the strikes on Ecuadorian vessels. The situation has been further complicated by the assassination of the Ecuadorian prosecutor investigating these incidents, which occurred in broad daylight last month.
