Trump administration carries out lethal strike in Caribbean, killing six Conflict news

President Donald Trump announced that the United States had carried out another air strike on a ship off the Venezuelan coast, again accusing the boat of transporting drugs.

Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday that six people were killed in the latest bombing.

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“Under my standing authorities as Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of War this morning ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a designated terrorist organization (DTO) ship,” Trump wrote.

“The strike was carried out in international waters, and six male narco-terrorists on board were killed in the strike. No US personnel were harmed.”

Trump did not provide any evidence to confirm his claims that the boat was “drug smuggling.”

But as with previous strikes, he shared an unclassified video of the bombing, which appeared to show a small boat appearing to drift in the water, not moving, before the US missile struck.

This latest attack is believed to be the fifth American bombing of its kind in the Caribbean Sea. Experts and human rights groups described the US strikes as clear Violation of international law Because drug traffickers are not considered armed combatants.

Despite their questionable legality, strikes have become common over the past month and a half.

the The first such attack It occurred on September 2, killing 11 people. Two other attacks occurred on September 15 and 19, each killing three people.

then, Fourth strike This came on October 3, when US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that four people had been killed on board that boat. Tuesday’s attack brings the known death toll to 27.

In each case, Trump and his officials claimed that the airstrikes were necessary to prevent “narco-terrorists” from reaching the United States with their deadly cargo, though it is unclear who was on board those small ships, what they were carrying, and what their destination was.

US forces frequently intercept suspected drug smuggling ships at sea as part of government efforts to stop the transport of drugs into the country.

But critics say the deadly attacks reflect Trump’s quest for executive power with few limits, both at home and abroad.

However, Trump has attempted to lay the groundwork for international action against drug cartels, through a series of executive actions and statements.

In early October, for example, the Trump administration I issued a memo to Congress, saying the president had determined that the United States was involved in a “non-international armed conflict” with the gangs, which he described as “unlawful combatants.”

In August, news reports emerged that Trump had secretly signed a separate order authorizing military strikes against drug trafficking networks.

This is a continuation of a months-long campaign by the Trump administration to reclassify drug trafficking as an act of foreign hostility.

Since February, the Trump administration has sought to designate a wide range of criminal and drug groups as “foreign terrorist organizations,” a move that human rights groups say could pave the way for US military operations abroad.

Last week, the US Senate voted down a bill introduced by a group of Democratic senators that would have required legislative approval for any future strikes against drug smuggling vessels.

The attacks also occurred in the center Mobilization of American forces In the Caribbean, including at bases in Puerto Rico.

The increase in fighter jets and other military equipment in the region has raised questions about possible attacks on Venezuela.

Trump has long had a hostile relationship with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and on Tuesday he repeated previous accusations that Venezuela was responsible for an “invasion” of the United States by foreign gangs.

“We get the drugs and all that, but we get something worse somehow,” Trump said at a White House news conference, repeating baseless claims.

“What they do very well is they send their criminals to the United States, and they send the Tren de Aragua.”

A US intelligence report declassified in May found no evidence that Maduro directed the Tren de Aragua cartel or its movements in the United States.