WASHINGTON: A US strike in opposition to an alleged drug vessel killed six suspected “narco-terrorists” within the Caribbean, United States Secretary of Struggle Pete Hegseth mentioned on Friday (Oct 24), the newest operation in President Donald Trump’s counter-drug campaign in the region.
In a put up on X, Hegseth mentioned this was the primary strike carried out at night time as a part of the marketing campaign which started in September. The strike befell in a single day and the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, he added.
Whereas Hegseth didn’t present any proof of what the vessel was carrying, he posted a roughly 20-second video which appeared to point out the vessel in water earlier than being hit by a minimum of one projectile and exploding.
Trump mentioned on Thursday that his administration plans to transient the US Congress on operations in opposition to drug cartels and that although he didn’t want a declaration of battle, operations in opposition to cartels on land could be subsequent.
The US army has been rising its presence within the Caribbean, together with deployments of guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and hundreds of troops.
Together with the latest strike, the US has carried out 10 assaults on suspected drug vessels within the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, killing practically 40 individuals. Whereas the Pentagon has supplied little info, it has mentioned a few of these strikes have been in opposition to vessels close to Venezuela.
The strikes have raised alarms amongst some authorized specialists and Democratic lawmakers, who query whether or not they adhere to the legal guidelines of battle.
Final week, Reuters was first to report that two alleged drug traffickers survived a US army strike within the Caribbean. They had been rescued and dropped at a US Navy warship earlier than being repatriated to their house international locations of Colombia and Ecuador.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the US is hoping to drive him from power. Washington in August doubled its reward for info resulting in Maduro’s arrest to US$50 million, accusing him of hyperlinks to drug trafficking and legal teams that Maduro denies.
