A U.S. military strike on Thursday targeted a boat carrying suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, but multiple survivors were reported. An American official confirmed two to three people survived the attack on a partially submerged vessel in international waters. This incident marks the second such strike this week amid the Trump administration's campaign against narcotrafficking.
The strike occurred on Thursday in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, targeting a "big" drug boat affiliated with a designated terrorist organization (DTO) involved in narcotrafficking. President Donald Trump announced the operation on Truth Social, stating, "Under my Standing Authorities as Commander-in-Chief, this morning, the Secretary of War, ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility — just off the Coast of Venezuela." He added, "Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route. The strike was conducted in International Waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. Forces were harmed. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!"
Unlike previous operations, this strike left survivors. An American official told Fox News there were two to three survivors from the partially submerged boat, and a search and rescue helicopter was dispatched to the site. Reuters first reported the news of survivors, though no further details were immediately available.
This was the second strike of the week, following one announced by Trump on Tuesday. The Trump administration has ordered at least five such strikes overall, with the prior ones resulting in no known survivors and at least 27 suspected drug traffickers killed, according to U.S. officials.
The operations are part of a broader counter-narcotics effort. Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced a new task force aimed to "crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe," warning, "The message is clear: if you traffic drugs toward our shores, we will stop you cold."
Trump has authorized CIA lethal operations in Venezuela, citing claims that President Nicolás Maduro has "emptied" prisons into the U.S. and that drugs originate from there. He informed Congress of an "armed conflict" with drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations, following the State Department's classification of gangs like Tren de Aragua as foreign terrorist entities. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has opposed the strikes, accusing the U.S. of targeting civilians.