The US military is holding two men aboard a Navy ship in the Caribbean after a targeted US strike killed two other people on board their ship, sources told news agencies on Friday.
The US has carried out several attacks on “narco-terrorist” vessels off the coast of Venezuela since September, with US President Donald Trump accusing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading a global drug cartel.
The two men taken into custody on Friday are the first to survive such US attacks.
Trump, sitting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Friday, said the attack targeted “a drug-carrying submarine, which was specifically built to transport large quantities of drugs.”
The navy deployed helicopters to rescue the two survivors, Reuters reported on Friday, citing sources familiar with the situation.
Trump: Maduro ‘doesn’t want to mess with the United States’
Thursday’s attack is believed to be the sixth US attack on “narco” boats off the coast of Venezuela – the Trump administration claims to have destroyed 28 individuals in its effort and experts have questioned the legality of such extrajudicial killings, even if the individuals targeted are who the administration claims they are.
Neither the White House, the State Department nor the Pentagon have provided evidence to support the US allegations.
The US has redeployed massive military hardware to the Caribbean region – including stealth bombers and fighter jets – as Trump continues to escalate tensions with Venezuela.
The president also admitted this week that he authorized a covert CIA operation inside Venezuela – with Caracas accusing the US of seeking “regime change”.
Asked by a White House reporter on Friday whether it was true that Maduro had made offers to ease tensions, Trump said, “He’s offered everything, you’re right.”
When asked on live TV why, Trump responded, “You know why? Because he doesn’t want to mess with the United States of America.”
Venezuela this week urged the UN Security Council to consider the legality of recent US actions and reaffirm support for Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Edited by: Rana Taha