US Military strike kills 11 drug gang members off Venezuela
President Donald Trump announced the operation on social media, describing the deceased as "Narcoterrorists" and emphasizing that no US forces were harmed.
The United States carried out a military strike on a drug-laden vessel in the southern Caribbean on Tuesday, killing 11 people identified as members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
President Donald Trump announced the operation on social media, describing the deceased as "Narcoterrorists" and emphasizing that no US forces were harmed.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said US forces had "shot out" the "drug-carrying boat" near Venezuela. "A lot of drugs in that boat," he added, noting that he had been briefed by General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Later, on his Truth Social platform, Trump posted: "Earlier this morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility."
He continued: "The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No US Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!" The post included a grainy aerial video showing a motorboat speeding through choppy waters before erupting into flames.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed the operation, writing on X that "today the US military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Carribean against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organisation." Details about the type of drugs aboard the vessel remain unclear.
The strike is part of an intensified US campaign against drug-trafficking groups in Latin America, which the Trump administration has labeled as terrorist organizations.
Since returning to the White House in January, the administration has designated groups including Tren de Aragua and Venezuela’s "Cartel of the Suns," which US authorities claim are linked to President Nicolas Maduro and senior government or military officials.
Over the past two months, the US military has strengthened its presence in the southern Caribbean with additional naval vessels and thousands of Marines and sailors, signaling a readiness to use force to curb narcotics entering the United States.
Trump warned that the strike was only the beginning, saying, "There's more where that came from." The Venezuelan government has condemned the US deployments.
On Monday, Maduro vowed to "declare a republic in arms" in case of a US attack, describing the American military presence as "the greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years."
