US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American forces carried out a second “kinetic strike” in Venezuela on his orders, killing three terrorists who were transporting drugs in international waters.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Trump said the strike was aimed at “positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists” operating in the US Southern Command’s area of responsibility.
“The strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in international waters transporting illegal narcotics headed to the US,” Trump said.
Trump said the strike was necessary to counter threats to “US national security, foreign policy, and vital US interests” posed by Venezuelan-linked cartels.
“If you are transporting drugs that can kill Americans, we are hunting you,” Trump warned.
He claimed narcotics smuggling networks had inflicted “devastating consequences on American communities for decades, killing millions of American citizens,” and vowed that his administration would no longer tolerate such activity.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
– Ends