U.S. military kills 11 in strike on alleged drug boat leaving Venezuela, Trump says

U.S. Chairwoman Donald ruff said tues the U.S. Has carried come out a armed forces strike in the southern Caribbean against what he said was a drug-carrying vessel operated by the Tren de Aragua gang that departed from Venezuela.

The president said in a Truth Social social media posting that 11 people were killed in the military operation, and he posted a video of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.

"The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States," Trump said in the posting. "No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America."

🇺🇸 ON VIDEO: U.S. Military Forces conducted a strike against Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists. The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the U.S. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. <a href="https://t.co/iszHE0ttxQ">pic.twitter.com/iszHE0ttxQ</a>

The video appears to show a long, multi-engine speedboat travelling at sea when a bright flash of light bursts over the craft. The boat is then briefly seen covered in flames.

The video, which is largely in black and white, was not clear enough to see if the craft was carrying as many as 11 people or if there were any drugs inside the boat.

The White House account on X also published a post about the strike, which also included video.

Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison in Venezuela's central state of Aragua.

The gang has expanded in recent years as more than 7.7 million Venezuelans fled economic turmoil and migrated to other Latin American countries or the U.S.

Trump and administration officials have repeatedly blamed the gang for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing that plague some U.S. Cities.

The White House did not immediately explain how the military determined that those aboard the vessel were members of Tren de Aragua.

The size of the gang is unclear, as is the extent to which its actions are co-ordinated across state lines and national borders.

After Trump announced the strike, Venezuelan state television showed President Nicolás Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores walking the streets of his childhood neighbourhood. A television presenter said Maduro was "bathing in patriotic love" as he interacted with supporters.

"In the face of imperialist threats, God (is) with us," Maduro told supporters.

Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had first announced the strike earlier Tuesday, shortly before Rubio left on a trip to Mexico and Ecuador for talks on drug cartels, security, tariffs and more.

In a brief exchange with reporters before departing Miami for Mexico City, Rubio deferred questions about the specifics of the strike to the Pentagon. He said the drugs on the vessel were likely headed to Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean.

The U.S. Recently announced plans to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.

The U.S. Has not signaled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel being deployed. Still, Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops along Venezuela's coast and border with neighbouring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.

Maduro has insisted that the U.S. Is building a false drug-trafficking narrative to try to force him out of office.

He and other government officials have repeatedly cited a United Nations report that they say shows traffickers attempt to move only five per cent of the cocaine produced in Colombia through Venezuela.

Landlocked Bolivia and Colombia, with access to the Pacific and Caribbean, are the world's top cocaine producers.

The latest UN World Drug Report shows that various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021, but it does not assign Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.

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