US strikes vessel carrying drugs from Venezuela
Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali and Steve Holland |
The US military has attacked a vessel from Venezuela in the Caribbean operated by the Tren de Aragua gang that was carrying illegal drugs, in the first known operation since the Trump administration’s recent surge of warships to the region.
President Donald Trump announced the strike at the White House on Tuesday, saying 11 people were killed in the operation but “no US forces were harmed”.
“We just, over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat.”
“And there’s more where that came from. We have a lot of drugs pouring into our country, coming in for a long time … These came out of Venezuela,” Trump said.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump said later in a social media posting.
“No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.”
He said the Pentagon would soon be providing further details.
A defence official confirmed the US military conducted a “precision strike against a drug vessel” but declined to elaborate on how the attack was carried out, what kind of drugs were being targeted or who was on board.
The official only said the vessel was “operated by a designated narco-terrorist organisation.”
“More information will be made available at a later time,” the official said.
The Venezuelan Communications Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States has deployed warships in the southern Caribbean with the aim of following through on Trump’s pledge to crack down on drug cartels.
Tuesday’s strike appeared to be the first such military operation in the region to that effect.
The US has not signalled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being deployed.
Still, President Nicolás Maduro’s government has responded by deploying troops along Venezuela’s coast and border with neighbouring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a post on X, said the boat had departed from Venezuela and was struck in the southern Caribbean.
Although Rubio called it “a lethal strike,” the Trump administration did not immediately confirm whether anyone was killed.
Seven US warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are either in the region or expected to be there soon, bringing along more than 4500 sailors and Marines.
While US Coast Guard and Navy ships regularly operate in the Southern Caribbean, the current buildup exceeds the usual deployments in the region.
In the naval force are warships, including USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale. Some can carry aerial assets like helicopters while others can also deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.
with AP
Reuters
