President Donald Trump announced Monday that US forces had once again targeted vessels allegedly linked to Venezuelan drug traffickers, killing three people in international waters, what Washington describes as a “wideer campaign against narcotelorists.”
“We actually knocked off three boats, and you saw two,” Trump told reporters Tuesday.
Legal scholars, human rights groups and lawmakers have questioned the legality of strikes and note that killing the early strike on September 2nd and using a fatal force summary without clear evidence or permission from Congress puts special killings and local dangers.
Caracas responded to his anger. President Nicholas Maduro has accused the strike of “military and diplomatic attacks” and accused Washington of producing justifications to pressure Caraca, pointing to regional threats and even suspected US military movements.
“They manufacture excuses by lying to justify the attack,” he said.
For many in Latin America, this pattern is familiar. Critics say allegations of drug smuggling can be reused to outlaw the government. Caracas is currently demanding clear evidence, third party enquiries and urgent diplomacy to avoid dangerous spirals in the Southern Caribbean.