President Donald Trump has announced that the US military has carried out a strike on what he said was a Venezuelan drug cartel vessel that had been on its way to the United States.
Three men were killed in the attack on Monday, according to Trump, who said the strikes occurred in international waters.
“This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to US National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital US Interests.”
The attack follows a similar strike that killed 11 people earlier this month.
The first bombardment deepened the animosity between Washington and Caracas. On Friday, the Venezuelan government accused the US military of intercepting “harmless” fishing boats from the country.
The strikes also raised concerns over violations of international law and the rights of the targeted individuals, who have been extrajudicially executed without a right to due process.
Trump warned on Monday that he would continue to target people his department believes are trying to get drugs into the US.
“BE WARNED — IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU! The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER,” he wrote.
On Sunday, Trump did not rule out US strikes inside Venezuela, amid growing tensions with the left-wing government of President Nicolas Maduro.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said when asked whether he is considering attacks against Venezuela. “Look, Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers and drugs. It’s not acceptable.”
For his part, Maduro accused the US of waging “an ongoing aggression of military character” against his country. (Al Jazeera)
