U.S. conducts 20th strike on alleged drug boat, killing 4 people

4 days ago 6

The U.S. subject conducted different onslaught connected an alleged drug-trafficking vessel connected Tuesday, a Pentagon authoritative confirmed to CBS News. The onslaught targeted a vas successful the Caribbean Sea and killed 4 radical connected board.

Since September, U.S. forces person destroyed astatine slightest 20 vessels successful planetary waters, sidesplitting astatine slightest 80 people. The Trump medication says the operations — the details of which stay sparse — are portion of an anti-drug offensive.

The Pentagon has not revealed much accusation astir the astir caller strike. Previously, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said the attacks person targeted "narco-terrorists" connected known cause trafficking routes, though U.S. officials person not provided circumstantial grounds that the vessels were smuggling drugs oregon posed a menace to the United States.

Some experts accidental the strikes, which person taken spot successful some the Pacific and Caribbean, may violate planetary instrumentality adjacent if they people known cause traffickers. U.N. quality rights main Volker Türk this week urged an probe into the legality of the strikes, informing of "strong indications" of "extrajudicial killings."

The latest onslaught comes amid an expanding U.S. subject buildup successful the region. This week, the U.S. Department of Defense confirmed the nuclear-powered craft bearer USS Gerald Ford and different warships had entered the Southern Command's country of responsibility, which includes the Caribbean. The USS Ford is the largest craft bearer successful the world, and the U.S. Navy's astir advanced.

Senior subject officials connected Wednesday presented President Trump with updated options for imaginable operations successful Venezuela, including strikes connected land, according to aggregate sources acquainted with the meetings astatine the White House. No last determination has been made, however, 2 of the sources told CBS News.

Meanwhile, Venezuela announced Tuesday that it was launching a monolithic subject exercise crossed the country, reportedly involving immoderate 200,000 forces.

Many radical some wrong Venezuela, including President Nicolas Maduro himself, and observers extracurricular the state judge the accrued U.S. subject unit is aimed astatine forcing Maduro retired of office.

When asked in a caller interrogation with "60 Minutes" if Maduro's "days were numbered," Mr. Trump responded, "I would accidental yeah. I deliberation so, yeah."

Mr. Trump has repeatedly accused Maduro of being complicit with equipped transgression gangs that smuggle drugs into the U.S. — accusations the Venezuelan person has rejected.

Meanwhile, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro connected Tuesday ordered his state to halt sharing quality with the U.S. He said the directive would "remain successful unit arsenic agelong arsenic the rocket attacks connected boats successful the Caribbean continue."

Eleanor Watson and Haley Ott contributed to this report.