In a significant escalation of its long-running anti-drug operations, the US military carried out a precision strike on a vessel in international waters just off the Venezuelan coast on Tuesday, killing six men on board. According to President Donald Trump's post on Truth Social, the target was "conducting narcotrafficking" along a known smuggling route linked to illegal narcoterrorist networks.
This latest action brings the total number of fatalities in US strikes against suspected trafficking vessels near Venezuela to 27 since September. US intelligence agencies reportedly confirmed the vessel's ties to transnational drug cartels, which the administration has classified as terrorist organizations in a recent memo to Congress.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration labeled its fight against these cartels as a "non-international armed conflict," paving the way to treat cartel members as "unlawful combatants." Critics have questioned the lack of clarity in criteria for naming targets and the absence of specific cartel names in official documents.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denounced the strikes as a thinly veiled pretext for regime change, alleging that US forces are expanding their footprint in Latin America under the guise of combating drug trafficking. The confrontation underscores rising tensions between Washington and Caracas, with broader implications for regional stability and international maritime security.
As global citizens track evolving security dynamics, this incident highlights the complex interplay between counter-narcotics efforts and geopolitical rivalries. With the death toll mounting and political stakes running high, observers are watching to see how Caracas and Washington will navigate this latest flashpoint in their fraught relationship.
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Trump says U.S. strike on vessel near Venezuelan coast kills six
cgtn.com
