( CNN ) -- Nearly a month has passed since a joint Honduran-U.S. drug raid fired upon a riverboat that survivors say was carrying civilians , not traffickers . Four were killed , including two pregnant women . The mission -- carried out aboard helicopters owned by the U.S. State Department and with support of Drug Enforcement Administration agents -- laid bare the reach of U.S. involvement in Honduran security missions , as well as its associated risks . The apparent error stirred some local outrage , but the sentiment did not spread to the capital . The Honduran government , publicly at least , has not reprimanded the United States for any role it may have had , or said anything about reconsidering its cooperation arrangement . It contrasts what is seen when civilians are killed in Pakistan , for instance , where tensions between the two nations are inflamed . Or , closer to home , imagine if Mexican security forces killed civilians in an operation with any level of U.S. support , said Christopher Sabatini , senior director of policy at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas . There would be people in the streets protesting and visible outrage , he said . The relatively muted reaction in Honduras to the May 11 incident in the country 's Mosquitia region , reveals much about the Central American country 's relationship with the United States and the dire security situation it faces , experts said . Honduras has the highest per capita homicide rate in the world ; it was 82.1 per 100,000 residents in 2011 . It is also becoming a hotspot for drug trafficking , as Mexican cartels push their operations south of their own border because of increased enforcement in their country . The boat shooting was part of the response to these problems . Hilda Lezama , the owner of the boat that was attacked , says she was transporting 13 passengers before dawn on the morning of May 11 on a river near the town of Ahuas , when the helicopters appeared overhead . Her boat was nearing the landing , and she had never had problems on this route in 26 years , so she did n't think anything when the dark was broken by lights from the choppers . In an instant , gunfire erupted and she jumped into the water . Her legs were hit . `` I do n't know how to swim , but somehow I made it to shore , '' she recalled in a teleconference with reporters this week . `` I was swimming with God . '' She held onto a branch in the water for three hours before help arrived , she said . The next thing she remembered she was in the hospital . The State Department this week said a preliminary investigation by Honduran authorities found that their security forces were justified in firing in self-defense . There was anger from the local population after the shooting , but it did not manifest itself at the national or international level . The New York Times detailed how , instead , local residents burned down four houses believed to belong to local drug traffickers . `` My sense is that Hondurans are finding themselves in a desperate situation and they really want U.S. cooperation , and that gives the U.S. some margin to make mistakes , '' said Michael Shifter , president of the Inter-American Dialogue . Despite how worrying it is that an enforcement operation may have killed innocent civilians , the fact remains that Honduras is confronting a very violent time , he said . That said , even the Hondurans have their limits , and the incident should serve a warning to the United States . `` I think the U.S. will be well-advised to be very careful . This should be an alarm , '' Shifter said . serious review and accountability needed `` There has to be a much greater sense of accountability . '' Thus far , the U.S. government has downplayed its role in the shooting . The DEA was involved , but only in a supporting role , agency spokeswoman Dawn Dearden said . State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland emphasized that the agents did not use force . `` No U.S. personnel fired any weapons . We were involved purely supporting and advising , '' she said . Still , the type of cooperation between the U.S. and Honduras is unprecedented in some ways . Unlike other U.S. anti-drug aid , like Plan Colombia , there does not appear to be the same strict limits on the role of American agents , Sabatini said . Honduras has `` always been a strong security partner of the United States , and a willing one , '' he said . The soft reaction to the Ahuas shooting boils down to a contradiction of Hondurans ' situation , said Eduardo Gamarra , professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University . Militarizing the war on drugs raises the possibility of civilians being killed , but at the same time , citizens wants security above all , he said . `` There is a very , very high possibility that errors will occur , mistakes are going to happen , and we will kill civilians , '' he said . But , `` what average citizens in Honduras want is to be safe . '' It 's a contradiction that he sees across the region . `` People distrust the police , but they want more police , '' he said .
Witnesses say a joint Honduras - US drug raid killed civilians . Response to the crisis has not caused tensions between countries . Honduras counts on US help to prevent violence .