The military said the vessel “was engaged in narco-trafficking operations,” though it did not provide evidence to back up the claim. The strike, announced by U.S. Southern Command on social media, has brought the total number of known boat strikes to 30 and the number of people killed to at least 107 since early September, according to numbers announced by the Trump administration.
Trump has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. and asserted that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. operations is to force him from power.
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Trump also indicated that the U.S. has “hit” a dock facility along a shore. “There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said. Trump declined to say if the U.S. military or the CIA carried out the strike on the dock or where it occurred. He did not confirm it happened in Venezuela.
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