The Venezuelan government has accused U.S. forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings after an attack on a Venezuelan vessel left 11 people dead. During his weekly television program on Wednesday, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, “They killed 11 people without due process. I want to know—can such a thing be done?”
The United States, however, claimed that the vessel was transporting drugs from Venezuela. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that those killed were members of the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. According to him, the ship was in international waters and carrying illegal narcotics bound for the United States.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said U.S. forces struck a drug-laden Venezuelan vessel while on duty in the Southcom region. He asserted that the boat carried a large quantity of narcotics.
Later, Trump wrote on his platform: “At my direction, U.S. military forces carried out a successful strike against the drug terrorists of ‘Tren de Aragua.’ Eleven terrorists were killed, and no harm came to our forces. This is a warning to anyone trying to smuggle drugs into the United States.”
The incident has further escalated existing tensions between Venezuela and the United States.
Source: Al Arabiya