The US military attacked and sank a ship in international waters in the southern Caribbean on Tuesday. According to US President Donald Trump, eleven people were killed. It was the first known military action of its kind since the recent deployment of American naval forces in the region.
Trump declared on his own social media platform “Truth Social” that he had personally ordered the “kinetic attack”. The target was members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA), a criminal group that has been classified as a foreign terrorist organization in the USA since February. According to Trump, the organization operates under the control of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and is responsible for drug trafficking, human trafficking, acts of violence and terrorism in the western hemisphere.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the operation and spoke of a “deadly strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug ship that sailed from Venezuela”. According to official information, the ship was attempting to smuggle illegal drugs into the USA.
Massive naval deployment in the region
The attack is linked to an increased US military presence in the Caribbean. Seven warships, including the USS “San Antonio”, the USS “Iwo Jima” and the USS “Fort Lauderdale”, as well as a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine are currently deployed or expected to be deployed. In addition, P-8 reconnaissance aircraft are monitoring the sea area. Around 4,500 sailors and marines are to be stationed in the region.
In Washington, Trump spoke of a “downed drug boat” and announced further deployments: “There’s more where that came from.” Human rights organizations, on the other hand, warned of an escalation and questioned the basis of the action under international law. Experts emphasized that the mere suspicion of drug smuggling does not justify targeted killings.
A video published by Trump showing the explosion of the ship is causing additional controversy. Venezuela’s Communications Minister Freddy Ñáñez expressed the suspicion that the material could be AI-generated. International media such as Reuters stated that there was no evidence of manipulation so far, but that the authenticity was still being investigated.
Maduro: USA is after Venezuela’s natural resources
There has been no official statement from the Venezuelan side on the incident so far. However, observers assume that the attack will further strain the already tense relations between Washington and Caracas. Venezuelan head of state Nicolás Maduro recently accused the US government of actually targeting his country’s natural resources. “They want to get our oil and gas for free.” Foreign Minister Yván Gil said that the US operation was solely for the purpose of “threatening a sovereign nation”.
On Tuesday, Maduro described the US military presence in the Caribbean as the “biggest threat” to South America in a century. In the event of an attack, he threatened armed resistance.
Shortly before the US attack: (© “x.com”/U.S. Southern Command)
