President Donald Trump announced he ordered a strike on a vessel linked to a designated terrorist organization in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility. Images courtesy Donald Trump/Truth Socioal
The United States military, for the third time, killed suspected drug dealers in a boat in the Caribbean Sea, President Donald Trump said.
The president announced the attack on Truth Social on Friday night, writing that three “male narcoterrorists” were killed in international waters and no U.S. forces were injured. He didn’t mention the location of the strike or which gangs, though the first two strikes earlier this month were allegedly from Venezuela. The U.S. Southern Command covers most of South America and the Caribbean.
“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump posted. “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans.”
He added: “STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!”
The Defense Department conducted its second strike on Venezuelan cartels on Monday with Trump also writing on Truth Social that “the illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER.”
On Sept. 2, a strike by the U.S. military destroyed a Venezuelan drug boat in the southern Caribbean with 11 suspected Tren de Aragua narco-terrorists dead.
The Trump administration in February designated Tren de Aragua Arguaga, the Sinoloa Cartel and other groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has condemned the strikes and has said his nation will defend against U.S. “aggression.” The Trump administration has labeled Maduro as a cartel leader.
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced Wednesday during a televised meeting with the high command of the Venezuelan armed forces that about 22 aircraft and some 30 vessels — including 12 navy ships — will deploy for three days to La Orchila Island, about 100 miles off the coast of Caracas.
U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, a Democrat serving California, said in a statement that “Congress alone holds the power to declare war.
“While we share with the executive branch the imperative of preventing and deterring drugs from reaching our shores, blowing up boats in the Caribbean without any legal authority risks dragging the United States into another war, and provoking attacks against American citizens,” he said. “Congress must be fully briefed on these operations and if the administration believes there is a case to make for a war authorization — it should make it. But this unauthorized and illegal use of our military must stop.”
Schiff and Tim Kaine, a Democrat serving Virginia, announced Friday that they filed a war powers resolution to block the strikes. Republicans have a 53-47 edge in the U.S. Senate.
In previous situations, the U.S. Coast Guard, with U.S. Navy assistance, dealt with drug smuggling as a law enforcement situation.
Domestic and international law experts told The New York Times that the orders are illegal and that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is deliberately targeting civilians with Special Operations personnel.
