Donald Trump has confirmed that a strike by the US military targeted and killed three alleged “narcoterrorists.” The exact group and origin of the vessel hit by the strike remain unclear, but Trump stated on his Truth Social media platform that it was associated with a Designated Terrorist Organization and involved in narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area.
USSOUTHCOM, also known as the US Southern Command, operates in Latin America south of Mexico, the waters near Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea. Intelligence reports indicated that the targeted vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics along a known narcotrafficking route aimed at harming Americans.
A video shared by Trump showed the vessel being struck by missiles and sinking in a fiery explosion after speeding through the waters. The White House communications director remarked that the moment of the strike was when the narcoterrorists realized their mistake.
This recent strike came after an operation on September 2, where a drug-carrying speedboat was destroyed, resulting in the death of 11 individuals. The Trump administration identified the boat as belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, previously designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
The justification for these military actions by the Trump administration is to disrupt the flow of drugs into the US. However, concerns have been raised by senators, both Democrats and some Republicans, along with human rights groups, regarding the legality of the strikes. Questions remain about how the military assessed the cargo and passengers’ affiliations before the attacks.
The escalation of US maritime presence in the Caribbean signals a new approach to combating drug trafficking in the region. Speculation in Venezuela suggests that these strikes may be part of a larger plan to destabilize President Nicolás Maduro’s government, a claim echoed by Maduro himself.
Maduro dismissed the US video of the strike as artificial intelligence-generated, asserting that a boat of that size could not navigate the high seas. He accused the Trump administration of using drug trafficking accusations as a pretext for seeking regime change in Venezuela.