US President Donald Trump reported Tuesday that the US military has carried out a new bombing of a suspected drug boat off the coast of Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of its six crew members. This is part of the military operations Washington has undertaken in recent weeks in the Caribbean, claiming that the US is at war with drug cartels.
Trump explained that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered this morning “a lethal kinetic strike against a vessel affiliated with a designated terrorist organization (DTO) engaged in narcotics trafficking in the area of ​​responsibility” of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), pursuant to his authority as commander in chief.
“Intelligence services confirmed that the vessel was smuggling narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting a known DTO route. The attack took place in international waters, and six male narcoterrorists on board were killed,” he stated in a message on his Truth Social profile.
The White House tenant stated at the end of September that, following the attacks on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, his administration is “very seriously” examining the “land-based” activity of drug cartels active in Venezuela, a country where he continues to not rule out the possibility of further attacks. He said the South American country remains “very, very dangerous.”
For his part, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro signed a decree declaring a state of external commotion, a state of emergency with exceptional circumstances, with a view to its entry into force in the event of external aggression, a possibility that Caracas fears following recent public statements by Trump and other senior officials in his administration.
