US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that Washington had carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel, operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, which departed from Venezuela.
In a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social, Trump noted that 11 people “positively identified Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists” were killed in a kinetic strike in what is a rare US military operation in the Americas.
It’s a dramatic escalation in the Republican administration’s efforts to combat the flow of illicit drugs, including fentanyl, coming into the United States, mostly entering via their southern borders from Latin America.
Trump also shared a video labelled “unclassified” along with his post on Truth. The video appears to show a long, multi-engine speedboat traveling at sea when a bright flash of light bursts over the craft. The boat is then briefly seen covered in flames.
“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“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.”
Trump also renewed accusations against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being a drug trafficker, running the Tren de Aragua group, classified as a foreign terrorist organisation by Washington.
“TDA (Tren de Aragua) is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere.
Trump’s claims tying Maduro with the gang contradicts a declassified US intelligence assessment, which found no credible evidence definitively proving a connection between the group and the Venezuelan leader.
The criminal group originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in the Venezuelan state of Aragua. In recent years, the gang has rapidly expanded as close to 8 million Venezuelans fled economic turmoil and migrated to other Latin American countries or the United States.
Trump and various administration officials have repeatedly blamed the gang for being at the root of violence and illicit drug dealing that have plagued various US cities.
Caracas claims the video posted by Trump was AI-generated
After Trump announced the strike, Venezuelan state television showed Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores walking the streets of his childhood neighbourhood. A television presenter said Maduro was “bathing in patriotic love” as he interacted with supporters.
“In the face of imperialist threats, God (is) with us,” Maduro told supporters. Maduro did not address the strike directly, but stressed that the US is “coming for Venezuela’s riches,” including oil and gas. The South American country has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
“From the neighbourhoods of Caracas, I tell you, there will be peace in Venezuela, with sovereignty,” said Maduro.
Venezuela’s Communications and Information Minister Freddy Ñáñez questioned the veracity of the video. “Based on the video provided, it is very likely that it was created using Artificial Intelligence,” he said on his Telegram account.
He couldn’t say what tools would have been used to create the video, but said it showed an “almost cartoonish animation, rather than a realistic depiction of an explosion.”
The attack comes just one day after Maduro said he’d declare a republic in arms if US forces deployed to the Caribbean staged an attack on Venezuela.
Recently, Trump ordered the deployment of several naval warships to patrol waters off Venezuela as his administration looks to boost their efforts to crackdown on what they call a narcotics crisis in the country.
Maduro has responded by stationing some 15,000 troops along his country’s coast and the border with neighbouring Colombia. He’s also urged Venezuelans to enlist in civilian militias to promptly address what he called the “gravest threat to face the continent in 100 years.”
Additional sources • AP