Trump: U.S. killed 11 "narcoterrorists" in strike off Venezuela

The first strike of President Trump's militarized drug war took place on Tuesday with what the Pentagon called a "precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization."Trump said 11 members of the Tren de Aragua cartel had been killed while transporting drugs. He shared what appeared to be video of an aerial attack on a speedboat.Why it matters: Trump has ordered a flotilla of ships off Venezuela's shores, ostensibly to stop drugs but also in hopes of sparking regime change, as Axios reported last week.Driving the news: Trump said on Truth Social that the targets had been "positively identified" as Tren de Aragua members and the strike took place in international waters, with no U.S. forces hurt.From the video shared by Trump, the vessel appears to be what authorities call a "go-fast" boat that are often used to quickly ferry cargo to and from larger vessels offshore, such as freighters, that carry shipments over long distances.It's unclear from the video where the drugs were allegedly stored on the vessel. The administration has provided no more details.Trump first revealed the strike during an unrelated press conference about the U.S. Space Force moving headquarters to Alabama from Colorado."We just over the last few minutes, literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat, lot of drugs in that boat," Trump said. "There's more where that came from."Moments after that announcement, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio — an architect of Trump's toughened stance toward Venezuela — amplified the president's remarks in a post on X that added few details. He followed up with emoji.The Pentagon also provided a statement: "As the President announced today, we can confirm the U.S. military conducted a precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization. More information will be made available at a later time."In Trump's Truth Social post, he reiterated the disputed claim that Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is the head of Tren de Aragua — a possible hint at his hopes the Venezuela operation ultimately brings new leadership to the oil rich socialist nation.This story was updated with Trump's comments.

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