US strike results in three deaths on Caribbean drug boat
(MENAFN) US forces have killed three men in a strike on a vessel in the Caribbean Sea, described by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as targeting a drug-trafficking operation.
Hegseth said on X that the vessel was operated by members of a “Designated Terrorist Organization,” though no evidence was provided. All three men aboard were killed in the operation, part of a broader campaign by the US in the Caribbean and Pacific that has claimed at least 18 lives earlier this week.
President Donald Trump has framed the operations as efforts to disrupt drug-smuggling networks from Venezuela and Colombia, claims rejected by both countries. Since the launch of the campaign, the US has deployed roughly 16,000 troops to the eastern Caribbean near Venezuela, along with eight Navy warships, a special operations vessel, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine. An aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to reinforce the forces next week.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the US operations, calling them a pretext for regime change, while UN human rights chief Volker Turk labeled the strikes “unacceptable” and urged the US to halt extrajudicial killings. Russia has expressed strong support for Venezuela, emphasizing national sovereignty and criticizing the US approach.
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