US strike kills four people on a vessel said to carry drugs
Karoline Leavitt said the strike that killed four people on a ship that allegedly carried drugs was consistent with the president’s campaign promise.
WASHINGTON – US troops have raided another boat in international waters off Venezuela, killing four people in an ongoing campaign against drug traffickers who have generated bipartisan concerns.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegses announced at least the fourth attack on social media in at least recent weeks, saying, “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!”
President Donald Trump has determined that the United States is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels. However, legal experts have questioned the legality of killing drug traffickers instead of arresting people suspected of killing drug traffickers and their cargo.
Without providing evidence, Hegseth said the Intelligence Report “arguably” confirmed that the vessel was carrying drugs and that the people on board were “narcotolists.” He said the boats carry “a fair amount” of drugs without detailing the amount or type of drugs.
The US military personnel were not injured during the surgery. This was recorded in a video shared by Hegseth, showing that many projectiles move through the water before they appear to hit the water, and move through the water before they explode.
“The President has directed these actions. These strikes against the Venezuelan drug cartels on these boats are consistent with their responsibility to protect the interests of the US overseas and to promote the interests of the US national security and foreign policy.
Republican and Democrats criticized previous strikes over drug ship allegations.
“What a sleazy and thoughtless feeling to praise someone for killing without trial,” Sen. Rand Paul wrote online after Vice President J.D. Vance promoted his previous strike.
Congressional Democrats wrote to the Trump administration on September 10 to ask about the legal basis for such a strike.
“We argue that Congress never declared war or approved the use of military force for similar operations in the future,” the letter reads. “Classifying a clear law enforcement mission as anti-terrorism does not grant legal authority to target and kill civilians.”
Trump promoted the strike in a speech to military leaders this week, claiming he reduced boat traffic in waters off the coast of Venezuela.
“All we want to do is stop the drugs from flowing into our country,” he said.
Three people died in the operation on September 15th. Another drug ship, allegedly killed 11 people in the September 2nd strike.
Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, an international law expert at the University of Notre Dame Law School, said the September 15 strike on a drug ship near Venezuela described as “illegal killings.”
“It just sends a message that compliance with the law is not important to the United States,” O’Connell said.
The strike is a milestone in the efforts of the increasingly militarized US counter-drugs in the region. Trump secretly approved military force against drug cartels in early August.
Contributions: Reuters, Davis Winkey, Josh Meyer
