The U.S. military killed 11 people on Tuesday in a strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, President Donald Trump said.
The strike is the first known operation since the Trump administration’s recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean.
Trump posted on social media that Tuesday’s U.S. military operation had targeted members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
He said the vessel was in international waters and was transporting illegal narcotics bound for the U.S..
The Trump administration has ratcheted up military and political pressure against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in recent weeks, including through a $50m reward for information leading to his arrest on drug-trafficking charges. Maduro has vowed Venezuela would fight any attempted U.S. military intervention, the BBC said.
