US military says at least three killed in new strikes on alleged ‘convoy’ of drug boats, with survivors abandoning ship
By Michael Williams, Zachary Cohen, CNN
(CNN) — The US military on Tuesday struck what it described as a “convoy” of three boats participating in the trafficking of narcotics — the latest salvo in the United States’ escalating actions against what it says are drug traffickers.
Officials said three people were killed in one of the targeted vessels, while the remaining people on the other two vessels abandoned ship, according to an announcement from US Southern Command posted to X on Wednesday.
It’s also unclear where the strikes happened. The military only described them as taking place in “international waters.” Previous strikes have taken place in both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
It’s also unclear where the strikes happened. The post to social media only described them as taking place in “international waters.” Previous strikes have taken place in both the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
CNN has reached out to the Coast Guard and Southern Command regarding the search and rescue mission for the survivors.
The new strikes bring the total number of vessels targeted by the US to at least 34 and the number of fatalities to at least 110 since the US began its campaign in September.
The Trump administration has claimed it is carrying out the strikes to stop the flow of drugs into the United States, but administration officials have also suggested they are part of a pressure campaign aimed at ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, from whose country many of the stricken vessels have originated.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair in interviews for a story published earlier this month that Trump wants to keep targeting boats until Maduro “cries uncle.”
Last week President Donald Trump said the United States took out a “big facility” as part of a pressure campaign against Venezuela that has included a massive US naval and troop buildup in the Caribbean and a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, in addition to the strikes.
The CIA carried out a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility on the coast of Venezuela, sources familiar with the matter told CNN, marking the first known US attack on a target inside that country.
Trump, who has provided few additional details on the “big facility” action, told reporters on Monday that “there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs” and that an “implementation area” was “no longer around.”
Maduro has repeatedly criticized the US military deployment in the Caribbean and accused the US of waging a campaign of “psychological terrorism” against his country.
In a response to Trump ordering a “complete” blockade of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela earlier this month, Venezuela’s National Assembly approved a law last week that allows for prison terms of up to 20 years for anyone found supporting “piracy” or “blockades.”
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