Desk Report,
Why did US soldiers kill 11 people who came by boat from Venezuela?
US troops have fired on a boat from Venezuela suspected of carrying drugs. Eleven people were killed. US President Donald Trump himself announced this on Tuesday.
Why did US soldiers kill 11 people who came by boat from Venezuela?
This is the first operation of US forces since the Trump administration sent warships to the southern Caribbean Sea.
Trump told reporters at the White House, “We just shot and destroyed a boat a few minutes ago. The boat was carrying drugs, there was a lot of drugs on the boat.” Trump also said that drugs come to the United States from Venezuela and that the campaign against drugs will continue. He said, “This is not the end, more is coming. We have had a lot of drugs coming into our country for a long time. They are coming from Venezuela.”
Trump posted a video on Truth Social. The video, taken from a drone in the sky, shows a speedboat in the sea. It explodes and catches fire.
Trump later posted a video on his social media site Truth Social. The drone video shows a speedboat in the sea, which explodes and catches fire.
Trump said, “The operation resulted in the deaths of 11 terrorists. There were no casualties among U.S. troops.” Trump said U.S. troops had identified the boat’s occupants as members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in February.
Trump again accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of controlling the Tren de Aragua gang. Caracas denied the accusation. Venezuelan Communications Minister Freddy Nance indicated in a post on social media that the video Trump shared was created using artificial intelligence.
Reuters conducted some preliminary checks of the video to verify the authenticity of the claim. For example, using a manipulation detection tool to examine the visual elements of the video, no evidence of manipulation was found. Reuters is examining the video in more detail.
The Pentagon has not released details about the operation, such as what kind of drugs were on board, how much, or how the operation was conducted. It is highly unusual to shoot down a ship in the Caribbean Sea on suspicion that it is carrying drugs. It could have been seized, the crew could have been arrested—many have criticized the incident.
“You can’t execute someone just on suspicion that they are carrying drugs,” Adam Isaacson, director of the nonprofit Washington Office on Latin America Defense Oversight, said in a post on X.
The United States has recently deployed warships to the southern Caribbean to implement Trump’s pledge to take tough action against drug cartels. Yesterday’s incident is believed to be the first such military operation in the region.
Seven US warships and a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine are currently in the Caribbean or are expected to arrive soon, carrying more than 4,500 sailors and Marines.
