By Sabiu Abdullahi
The United States military has launched an attack in the southern Caribbean, killing at least 11 people on board a Venezuelan vessel accused of transporting narcotics. Former President Donald Trump confirmed the strike on Tuesday.
Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump stated that American forces had “literally shot out a boat, a drug-carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat,” describing it as part of a broader push by his administration to confront cartels.
He later released a video on his Truth Social account showing a speedboat exploding in open waters.
According to him, those on board were members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization recently labeled a terrorist group by the U.S. Trump further alleged the group is “controlled by Nicolás Maduro’s regime” in Caracas.
“The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. forces were harmed,” Trump announced.
Officials in Caracas quickly rejected Washington’s version of events.
Venezuela’s Communications Minister, Freddy Ñáñez, said the video posted by Trump appeared to have been produced using artificial intelligence.
Reuters reported that its initial review of the footage showed no indication of digital alteration, though the agency noted its verification process was still underway.
The Pentagon has not released specifics about the operation, including the quantity or type of drugs said to be on board.
This omission has drawn scrutiny from regional analysts. Adam Isacson, a security expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, cautioned, “This is highly unusual. Being suspected of carrying drugs doesn’t carry a death sentence,” pointing out that the operation resembled U.S. counterterrorism measures more than standard drug enforcement actions.
This was the first publicly acknowledged strike since Trump ordered seven American warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and over 4,500 sailors and Marines into the Caribbean.
U.S. surveillance aircraft have also been active over the area in recent weeks.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the strike, arguing that the narcotics “were probably headed to Trinidad or some other Caribbean country,” and pledged that the administration would continue targeting cartels.
The development has further strained relations with Venezuela, where officials accuse Washington of fabricating claims to justify military escalation.
Just last month, the U.S. doubled its reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, alleging deep connections between his government and criminal organizations.
Caracas maintains that Tren de Aragua was dismantled during a 2023 prison raid and no longer operates in the country.