Canada 'continues to monitor' U.S. boat strikes in Caribbean as questions swirl and allies squirm
CBC
The federal government says it is keeping a close eye on lethal strikes by American forces on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean, while continuing with operations in the region.
Canada has conducted Operation Caribbe — an anti-drug trafficking mission in partnership with the United States Coast Guard — since 2006.
The Department of National Defence says that mission has nothing to do with the deadly strikes conducted by the U.S. Air Force.
"The U.S.’s actions are unilateral and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) does not participate," wrote DND spokesperson Nick Drescher Brown. "Canada continues to monitor the situation closely."
The department says there are no planned changes to Operation Caribbe, but it is "continuously reviewing operational engagements to ensure they remain consistent with Canada’s legal obligations and strategic interests."
At least 87 people have been killed in nearly two dozen U.S. strikes in the Caribbean since September.
The strikes mark a drastic change in U.S. policy on drug trafficking in the Caribbean, diverging from efforts to stop and arrest suspected traffickers at sea and send them to the U.S. to face prosecution.
This shift has left Canada and other allies in an impossible position, according to Rob Huebert, director of the Centre For Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.
"I think the Canadian government is quite rightly being very cautious on its activities to ensure Canadians are not caught up in any kind of illegal activities, but at the same token trying to maintain this working relationship we have," Huebert told CBC News.
The United Kingdom suspended intelligence-sharing with the U.S. in the region in November. Colombia did the same.
France condemned the use of force at G7 meetings in Canada, while Canadian officials remained quiet on the topic.
Canada maintains its partner in the region is the U.S. Coast Guard, and not the U.S. Air Force, which has been conducting the strikes.
But Huebert said that's a thin distinction, considering both entities fall under the Department of War, and its secretary Pete Hegseth.
"It probably allows for a little bit of political cover," Huebert said. "In terms of the actual interaction going on, the U.S. Coast Guard is part of the U.S. military."
WARNING: This story contains images of dead bodies and graphic physical injuries.
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