US strikes another boat accused of carrying drugs in waters off Venezuela, killing 6, Trump says

WASHINGTON AP President Donald Trump says the U S struck another small boat that he accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela The Republican president announced Tuesday in a post on social media that six people aboard the vessel were killed in the strike and no U S forces were harmed It s the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean as the Trump administration has asserted that it is treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants who must be met with military force Frustration with the administration has been growing on Capitol Hill among members of both major political parties Chosen Republicans are seeking more information from the White House on the legal justification and details of the strikes Democrats contend the strikes violate U S and international law Trump commented Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strike Tuesday morning and published a video of the strike as he has in the past Trump announced that the strike was conducted in international waters and that Intelligence proven that the vessel was trafficking narcotics was associated with narcoterrorist networks and was on a known drug trafficking trail The Senate last week voted on a war powers resolution that would have barred the Trump administration from conducting the strikes unless Congress specifically authorized them but it failed to pass In a memo to Congress that was obtained by The Associated Press the Trump administration mentioned it had determined that the United States is in a non-international armed conflict with these designated terrorist organizations and that Trump directed the Pentagon to conduct operations against them pursuant to the law of armed conflict The Trump administration has yet to provide underlying evidence to lawmakers proving that the boats targeted by the U S military in a series of fatal strikes were in fact carrying narcotics according to two U S administrators familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity The strikes followed a buildup of U S maritime forces in the Caribbean unlike any seen in up-to-date times Last week Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino recounted military leaders that the U S establishment knows the drug-trafficking accusations used to patronage the newest actions in the Caribbean are false with its true intent being to force a regime change in the South American country He added that the Venezuelan administration does not see the deployment of the U S warships as a mere propaganda-like action and warned of a feasible escalation I want to warn the population We have to prepare ourselves because the irrationality with which the U S empire operates is not normal Padrino mentioned during the televised gathering It s anti-political anti-human warmongering rude and vulgar