US strikes another boat off Venezuela on suspicion of 'trafficking narcotics'; six people dead

The US has struck another boat off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people, making it the fifth such incident in two months as President Donald Trump ramps up the war on drugs.

Trump claimed in a Truth Social post that the boat belonged to “narcoterrorists” and that it was “trafficking narcotics”. His post was accompanied by a surveillance video that showed the exact moment US military struck the vessel.

The strike follows a recently leaked memo to Congress, reported by US media, in which the administration concluded that the US is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.

The Trump administration has deployed several military vessels to the Caribbean Sea to counter drug smugglers amid mounting tensions with Venezuela’s leftist President Nicolas Maduro.

“The president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States,” the notice from the Pentagon said.

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The notice also describes suspected smugglers as “unlawful combatants.”

Trump has ruled out a diplomatic solution to mitigate tensions with Venezuela, potentially giving way for the American military to ramp up its efforts against drug traffickers.

Ties between the US and Venezuela have dipped after Trump ordered his military to attack suspected “drug boats”, alleging that Venezuelan gang members deployed them. Meanwhile, Venezuela has repeatedly denied involvement in alleged drug trafficking.

Maduro has said that his government is ready to declare a state of emergency in the country amid threats from the US over an imminent attack. He announced in a televised address that the “consultation process” had begun to declare “a state of external unrest, in accordance with the Constitution, and to protect our people, our peace, and our stability … should Venezuela be attacked by the US empire, militarily attacked.”