The US strike on the ship on the coast of Venezuela killed six suspect drug traders on Tuesday (October 14), President Donald Trump announced and identified the latest in a number of military events in the region.
“Under my permanent authorities as the commander, this morning, the Minister of War ordered a deadly kinetic strike on a ship connected with a designated terrorist organization (DTO),” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He said the strike focused on a ship “performing narcotofection in the area of USSouthcom – just off the coast of Venezuela”.
“Six Narcoterrorists killed” in a strike
Trump said intelligence confirmed that the ship was trading narcotics and was associated with “unlawful narcoterrorism networks”.
“The strike was carried out in international waters and six male narcoterrorists aboard the ship was killed on the strike. No US forces were damaged,” he added.
The 30 -second video Trump said what seemed to be a stationary vessel affected by the projectile before the exploding.
Legally questionable military expansion
This operation reflects Trump’s expansion use of military force, often legally ambiguous ways. His administration approved strikes not only against terrorist groups, but also drug traders that blurred the boundary between anti -terrorism and Counternternarcotics.
The Pentagon recently told Congress that Trump had determined that the US was dealing with a “unpretentious armed conflict” with drug cartels.
Military accumulation in the southern Caribbean
The strike comes in the middle of a major American military accumulation in the region.
There are currently eight American warships located in the Southern Caribbean, along with the F-35 plane located in Puerto Rico and one nuclear submarine. Thousands of sailors and marines are allegedly involved in the operation.
Since the beginning of September, the administration has hit at least six ships and claimed to be narcotics bound to the United States.
Rising tension with Maduro mode
The escalation stimulated tensions with the Venezuelan President Nicolás Madur, who accused Washington of trying to expel him.
Maduro replied by ordering military exercises and building Venezuelan forces on readiness.
(Tagstotranslate) military accumulation
