- Trump shares a video showing the explosion of the boat at speed.
- US officials say the boat was carrying illegal narcotics.
- The strike comes in the middle of an increased deployment of the Caribbean.
The US military killed 11 people on a strike on a venezuela ship on Tuesday, allegedly brought up illegal drugs, said President Donald Trump, in the first operation known since the recent deployment of warships by his administration in the South Caribbean.
Trump told journalists in the White House: “We, in the last minutes, have literally fired a boat, a boat carrying drugs, a lot of drugs in this boat.”
“And there is more where it comes from. We have a lot of drugs flowing in our country, coming for a long time … These have come out of Venezuela,” said Trump.
He then shared a video on his social platform Truth which seemed to show images of air drones from a sea boat exploding and then on fire.
“The strike resulted in the death of 11 terrorists.
He added that the American army had identified the crew as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren from Aragua, that the United States has appointed a terrorist group in February. He repeated allegations according to which Tren of Aragua is controlled by the president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro, accusations that Caracas denies.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Communications did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
The Pentagon has not published details on the attack, including the type of medication on board, the quantity or the way in which the strike was made.
The decision to blow up an alleged drug vessel passing through the Caribbean, instead of grasping the ship and apprehending its crew, is very unusual and evokes memories of the American fight against militant groups like Al-Qaeda.
The United States has deployed warships in the South of the Caribbean in recent weeks to continue a commitment from Trump to suppress drug cartels.
Tuesday’s strike seemed to be the first military operation of this type in the region for this purpose.
Seven American warships, as well as a rapid nuclear propulsion attack submarine, are either in the region or expect it soon, transporting more than 4,500 sea and sea.
While the ships of the American and naval coast guard regularly operate in the south of the Caribbean, the current accumulation exceeds the usual deployments of the region.
In naval force are warships, including USS San Antonio, USS IWO Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale. Some may transport air assets such as helicopters, while others can also deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The US military has also piloted P-8 spy planes in the region to collect information, US officials said. They flew over international waters.
Addressing journalists, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “These special drugs were probably heading for Trinidad or another Caribbean country.”
“It is enough to say that the president will be offense against drug cartels and drug trafficking in the United States.”
Trump is leaving Maduro, has raised alarms to Caracas that their government could be the real target.
Last month, the United States doubled its award for information leading to Maduro’s arrest at $ 50 million, accusing it of links with drug trafficking and criminal groups.
Venezuelans officials said on several occasions that Tren de Aragua was no longer active in their country after having dismantled him during a prison raid in 2023.
