U.S. Deploys Military Force on High Seas to Strike Venezuelan Vessel
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela are escalating as the U.S. continues to deploy military force on the high seas, citing the need to block drug trafficking.
On September 15 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. military had attacked a Venezuelan drug trafficking organization's drug transport vessel for the second time, eliminating drug criminals.
President Trump stated on his social media platform, Truth Social, "This morning, under my orders, the U.S. military conducted a second kinetic strike against clearly identified, highly violent drug trafficking cartels and narco-terrorists in the area of responsibility of the Southern Command."
He added, "This strike occurred as these terrorists, confirmed to be from Venezuela, were transporting illegal drugs-deadly weapons that poison Americans-into the United States through international waters (the high seas). These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels pose a threat to U.S. national security, foreign policy, and core interests."
President Trump said, "This operation eliminated three male terrorist suspects, and there were no U.S. military casualties. Let this serve as a warning: If you transport drugs that can kill Americans, we will track you down."
In response, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a press conference in the capital, Caracas, criticizing the U.S. strike as a "full-scale act of aggression." President Maduro stated, "All communication with the U.S. government has been abandoned," and claimed, "They have resorted to threats of bombs, death, and intimidation."
Previously, President Trump had announced that on September 2, the U.S. military attacked a Venezuelan drug transport vessel, eliminating 11 terrorists belonging to an international drug trafficking organization. However, the Venezuelan government has strongly protested, insisting that the vessel was not affiliated with a drug trafficking organization and that the U.S. killed ordinary citizens.
On September 12, President Maduro also claimed that a U.S. Navy destroyer illegally occupied a Venezuelan tuna fishing vessel operating in Venezuela's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for eight hours, stating, "The United States is looking for an incident."
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