“The strike killed three male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel, which was in international waters. No US Forces were harmed in this strike,” Trump wrote.
The US military deployment – eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela and 10 fighter jets sent to nearby Puerto Rico – has been widely denounced in Latin America, stoking fears the United States is planning to attack Venezuela.
It has also prompted debate over the legality of the killings, with drug trafficking itself not a capital offence under US law.
Washington has also not provided details to back up its claims that the boats targeted have actually been trafficking drugs.
Leftist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of pursuing regime change in his country under the guise of an operation to combat drug trafficking.
Trump previously said the United States had “knocked off” three vessels and killed 14 people as part of its campaign, but his administration has released video of only two attacks.
It was not immediately clear if the attack reported by Trump today is the third of those three or a new, fourth one.
Trump has sought to increase pressure on Maduro, whom the United States and much of the international community does not recognise as Venezuela’s rightful president after two questioned re-elections.
– Agence France-Presse
