By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A U.S. strike against an alleged drug vessel killed six suspected “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, the latest operation in President Donald Trump’s counter-drug campaign in the region.
In a post on X, Hegseth said this was the first strike carried out at night as part of the campaign which began in September. The strike took place overnight and the vessel was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, he added.
While Hegseth did not provide any evidence of what the vessel was carrying, he posted a roughly 20-second video which appeared to show the vessel in water before being hit by at least one projectile and exploding.
Trump said on Thursday that his administration plans to brief the U.S. Congress on operations against drug cartels and that even though he did not need a declaration of war, operations against cartels on land would be next.
The U.S. military has been increasing its presence in the Caribbean, including deployments of guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and thousands of troops.
Along with the most recent strike, the United States has carried out 10 attacks on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, killing nearly 40 people. While the Pentagon has provided little information, it has said some of those strikes have been against vessels near Venezuela.
The strikes have raised alarms among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they adhere to the laws of war.
Last week, Reuters was first to report that two alleged drug traffickers survived a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean. They were rescued and brought to a U.S. Navy warship before being repatriated to their home countries of Colombia and Ecuador.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the U.S. is hoping to drive him from power. Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups that Maduro denies.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Edited by Chizu Nomiyama)
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