Trump: U.S. killed 11 "narcoterrorists" in strike off Venezuela
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Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty
The first strike of President Trump's militarized drug war took place on Tuesday with what the Pentagon called a "precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization."
- Trump said 11 members of the Tren de Aragua cartel had been killed while transporting drugs. He shared what appeared to be video of an aerial attack on a speedboat.
Why it matters: Trump has ordered a flotilla of ships off Venezuela's shores, ostensibly to stop drugs but also in hopes of sparking regime change, as Axios reported last week.
Driving the news: Trump said on Truth Social that the targets had been "positively identified" as Tren de Aragua members and the strike took place in international waters, with no U.S. forces hurt.
- From the video shared by Trump, the vessel appears to be what authorities call a "go-fast" boat that are often used to quickly ferry cargo to and from larger vessels offshore, such as freighters, that carry shipments over long distances.
- It's unclear from the video where the drugs were allegedly stored on the vessel. The administration has provided no more details.
- Trump first revealed the strike during an unrelated press conference about the U.S. Space Force moving headquarters to Alabama from Colorado.
- "We just over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat, lot of drugs in that boat," Trump said. "There's more where that came from."
Moments after that announcement, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio — an architect of Trump's toughened stance toward Venezuela — amplified the president's remarks in a post on X that added few details. He followed up with emoji.
- The Pentagon also provided a statement: "As the President announced today, we can confirm the U.S. military conducted a precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization. More information will be made available at a later time."
- In Trump's Truth Social post, he reiterated the disputed claim that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is the head of Tren de Aragua — a possible hint at his hopes the Venezuela operation ultimately brings new leadership to the oil rich socialist nation.
This story was updated with Trump's comments.
