Four people were killed in the U.S. military’s 20th attack on a suspected drug-transporting vessel in the Caribbean, Pentagon officials announced, as the Trump administration escalates operations in South American waters.
The latest strike occurred on Tuesday, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. This brings the death toll from the airstrikes, which began in September, to 80, and the Mexican navy called off the search for survivors from the airstrikes in late October after four days.
The attack occurred on the same day that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced two strikes had been carried out on Monday, and comes as the Trump administration expands an already large U.S. military presence in the region by bringing in the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. The country’s state-of-the-art warship will sail from the Mediterranean Sea and is expected to arrive within days.
Hegseth on Wednesday emphasized the growing importance and persistence of the military’s presence in the region, formally naming the mission “Operation Southern Spear.” Once Ford arrives, the mission will involve approximately 12,000 Navy ships and approximately 12,000 sailors and Marines.
The Trump administration claims the warship buildup is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the United States, but has released no evidence to support the claim that those killed on the warships were “narco-terrorists.” Attacks have primarily targeted ships in the Caribbean, but also in the eastern Pacific, where much of the cocaine from the world’s biggest producers is smuggled.
President Maduro said the US government was “fabricating” a war against him. Venezuela’s government this week touted a “massive” mobilization of military and civilian forces to fend off a possible U.S. attack.
MNA/