World
Trump says U.S. strike killed 11 Tren de Aragua members at sea
President Donald Trump said U.S. military forces carried out a strike that killed 11 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua criminal group while they were at sea, transporting narcotics toward the United States.
“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday. “The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike.”
Trump described Tren de Aragua, which was recently designated a foreign terrorist organization by his administration, as “operating under the control of Nicolás Maduro” and accused it of mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and violence across the Western Hemisphere.
The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States, according to Trump. He also posted a video showing the vessel being struck, followed by a large fire.
The Pentagon has not disclosed the precise location of the strike, but it comes as the United States maintains a large naval presence in the Southern Caribbean as part of an expanded counter-narcotics mission. That deployment includes seven warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and more than 4,500 service members.
Nicolás Maduro ordered 4.5 million militia members mobilized nationwide after the U.S. doubled its reward for information leading to his arrest to $50 million, citing his alleged role in drug trafficking and ties to Tren de Aragua and other cartels.
While American forces have frequently targeted drug traffickers in Latin America through interdictions, surveillance, and arrests, direct military strikes against cartel-linked groups at sea are rare. Historically, U.S. actions in the region have focused on intercepting cocaine shipments or assisting local governments, rather than conducting unilateral lethal strikes.
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