Washington, DC (EFE).– The United States military sank a small boat in international waters near Venezuela on Friday, killing four people on board whom it accused of being “narcoterrorists,” officials confirmed. The incident marks the latest in a series of US operations targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean.
“Four male narco-terrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike, and no US forces were harmed in the operation,” US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on X, where he also shared a video of the strike.
He added that the vessel was intercepted “in international waters just off the coast of Venezuela while the vessel was transporting substantial amounts of narcotics – headed to America to poison our people.”
“These attacks will continue until the assaults against the American people stop!” Hegseth declared.
Friday’s strike was the fifth such operation launched by the US since September, according to US officials.
Three of the previous attacks also took place near Venezuela, while another occurred close to the Dominican Republic.
Washington says its military deployment across the Caribbean is part of its strategy to combat drug trafficking.
The Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly condemned the US operations. Maduro has described them as a direct threat to the country’s sovereignty and warning they could serve as a pretext for military aggression.
In a notification to Congress made public Thursday, United States President Donald Trump stated that the country is in an “armed conflict” against drug cartels.
The declaration that provides his administration with a legal framework to justify continued military actions in the Caribbean. EFE
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