The United States continues to destroy suspected drug-trafficking vessels when deemed necessary, <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/marco-rubio-warns-countries-aiding-irans-sanctions-evasion-could-be-sanctioned-23648098" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">Secretary of State Marco Rubio </a>has said, adding that operations are assessed individually and undergo legal review.
"Well, again, it depends; and we still blow up ships if need be," Rubio told reporters at the US Embassy in Quito, Ecuador, on Wednesday.
<h2>Operations assessed based on threat</h2>
Rubio said <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/us-military-carries-out-fresh-strike-on-alleged-narco-trafficking-boat-three-killed-amid-ongoing-anti-cartel-campaign-23627692" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">US actions against suspected drug-trafficking vessels</a> depend on several factors, including the country involved, the location of a vessel and the level of threat it is believed to pose.
"So it depends on the vessel; it depends on the threat it poses; it depends on where it's located," Rubio said.
He said many of the recent operations had been conducted jointly with regional partner countries in their territorial waters.
According to Rubio, the United States is required to follow the laws and procedures of partner countries when carrying out operations within their territorial jurisdictions.
<h2>Legal review conducted for targets</h2>
Rubio said potential targets undergo legal scrutiny before operations are carried out, with decisions made on a case-by-case basis.
The secretary referred to a legal review at the Department of War and said the nature of each operation could differ depending on the circumstances.
"So I think, really, it's a strike-by-strike or operation-by-operation determination," he said.
Rubio maintained that the US campaign was aimed at disrupting routes used for <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/death-toll-from-us-strikes-on-alleged-drug-boats-reaches-126-people-23613815" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">drug trafficking</a>.
"The important point is that these routes are being disrupted. These routes are being ended," he said.
<h2>US working with regional partners</h2>
Rubio distinguished recent joint operations from unilateral actions conducted in international waters earlier in the year.
He said combined missions required the United States and participating countries to agree on operational procedures, particularly when actions were carried out in the territorial waters of partner nations.
"We've been doing it now for over a year, and now the difference is that we're doing it in collaboration and in cooperation with &ndash; working alongside countries in the region, in their territorial waters," Rubio said.
He also rejected the suggestion that the campaign had been conducted without public acknowledgment, saying Washington had not concealed its efforts to target suspected drug-trafficking vessels.
<h2>Rubio declines comment on Galapagos report</h2>
Rubio declined to comment when asked about a reporter's claim that three vessels had been destroyed near the Galapagos Islands as part of a covert CIA programme.
"I'm not going to comment on your reporting. I don't even know if your reporting is accurate when you say that," he said.
Rubio's comments came amid continued US efforts to disrupt suspected <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/us-military-conducted-another-strike-against-a-drug-smuggling-boat-in-the-eastern-pacific-ocean-23608967" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">drug-trafficking routes</a> in cooperation with governments across the region.
<h2>Mexico cartels remain major challenge</h2>
Asked about the potential risk to fishermen, Rubio said US operations were intended to target drug traffickers, drug-trafficking vessels and illegal fishing rather than ordinary fishing activity.
"Our goal is not to go after fishermen; our goal is to go after drug traffickers," he said.
Rubio identified drug cartels operating in Mexico as a particularly serious challenge, citing the country's size and the influence of organised criminal groups.
"The case of Mexico -- it's an even graver challenge because of the size of the country, because of the power of the cartels that are there," he said.
Rubio said Washington preferred to address the threat in cooperation with Mexican authorities, but warned that the issue would ultimately have to be confronted.
"But eventually, that threat will have to be confronted, one way or the other," he added.
(With inputs from IANS)

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