U.S. Destroys Second Suspected Smuggling Boat off Venezuela

 

As promised by Trump administration officials, the U.S. military has carried out a second strike on a Venezuelan boat target, killing three people. The strike is the second break with law enforcement precedent carried out in the theater this month. 

"This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility," said Trump in a social media post. "The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics . . . headed to the U.S."

Trump asserted that Venezuelan drug cartels pose a threat to U.S. national security, and warned that American forces would continue to "hunt" traffickers. 

The first strike was carried out by Special Operations Command using a missile-carrying MQ-9 Reaper drone, a familiar assassination method used in counterterror operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia and elsewhere. SOCOM has not traditionally engaged in maritime counternarcotics in U.S. Southern Command, normally managed by the U.S. Coast Guard under a law enforcement mandate with near-zero lethality. 

During the first intercept, the boat turned back before it was attacked by American forces, multiple officials told the New York Times. It was then struck repeatedly, killing 11 people - including some who survived the first hit and were killed by follow-up shots, two officials told The Intercept.  

The outlet reports that the Pentagon has restricted access to briefings on the initial strike, refusing to read in senior staff from certain oversight committees and members of House leadership. The Department of War confirmed that it is keeping information on the attack closely held. SOCOM has declined to comment on any involvement. 

Separately, on Monday, the Venezuelan government protested a boarding operation conducted by a U.S. Navy destroyer in waters off Venezuela's coast. Without attacking the vessel, destroyer USS Jason Dunham deployed an armed team "who boarded and occupied the small, harmless boat for eight hours," according to Venezuela's foreign ministry. ABC News obtained confirmation that the search occurred in international waters, and that no drugs were found.