President Donald Trump said U.S. military forces carried out a strike that killed 11 members of Venezuela\u2019s Tren de Aragua criminal group while they were at sea, transporting narcotics toward the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“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<\/a> on Tuesday. “The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump described Tren de Aragua, which was recently designated a foreign terrorist organization by his administration, as \u201coperating under the control of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro\u201d and accused it of mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and violence across the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicol\u00e1s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n