Three people have been killed in a US military attack on a suspected drug boat in international waters. The vessel was traveling from Venezuela to the United States. The US says it has evidence that it was a drug boat.
US President Donald Trump announced Monday on his social media platform, Truth Social, that three men were killed in the attack on “violent drug cartels.” The post included a video of the attack, which shows a floating ship exploding and then bursting into flames.
Trump later said from the Oval Office that the US has evidence the boats belonged to “narco-terrorist groups.” This alleged evidence has not been shared publicly. Shortly before the attack, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said the country would defend itself against US aggression.
Eleven people were killed in a previous attack on a Venezuelan ship in international waters two weeks ago. Experts told the BBC that the attack may have violated international human rights. Venezuela insists the victims were not gang members, The Guardian reports .
Tensions between the two countries have been rising recently. This began after the US sent naval vessels to the southern Caribbean in late August for what insiders described as ” counter-narcotics operations .”
Call for shooting training
The US Navy boarded a Venezuelan fishing boat in a “hostile manner” on Friday , the South American country’s foreign minister claimed Saturday. The boat was reportedly in Venezuela’s exclusive economic zone.
Maduro called on Venezuelans on Saturday to come to barracks for shooting training. On Thursday, Venezuela also deployed its army, police, and civil defense forces to 284 “front positions” along its borders. The country thus aimed to demonstrate its military capabilities.
