Exclusive-In a first, US strike in Caribbean leaves survivors, US official says
by Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military launched a new attack on a suspected drug ship in the Caribbean on Thursday, with survivors among the crew in what is believed to be the first such case, a U.S. official told Reuters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer additional details about the incident that had not been previously reported. But this raises new questions, such as whether the US military is helping the survivors and whether these people are currently in US military custody.
The Pentagon, which labeled those targeted in the attacks as narcoterrorists, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before Thursday’s operation, at least 27 people were killed in a US military attack on suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela; This raised alarm among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers who questioned whether they complied with the laws of war.
The Trump administration argues that the United States is already at war with narcoterrorist groups in Venezuela, justifying the attacks.
Videos provided by the Trump administration of previous attacks showed the ships being completely destroyed, and there was no prior information about survivors.
The attacks come against the backdrop of a U.S. military buildup of guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops in the Caribbean as President Donald Trump escalates tensions with the Venezuelan government.
On Wednesday, Trump announced that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, fueling speculation in Caracas that the United States is trying to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In a letter to the United Nations’ 15-member Security Council seen by Reuters, Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada asked the UN to rule that US attacks on its coasts are illegal and to issue a statement supporting Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Less than a week ago, the Pentagon announced that counternarcotics operations in the region would no longer be managed by the Miami-based Southern Command, which oversees U.S. military activities in Latin America.
Instead, the Pentagon deployed World War II, a unit that could conduct rapid overseas operations at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He said a task force has been formed to be led by the Marine Expeditionary Force.
This decision came as a surprise to U.S. military observers because a combatant command like Southern Command would normally lead high-profile operations.
Earlier Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the admiral who leads U.S. Southern Command will resign at the end of this year, two years earlier than planned, in a surprise move.
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Adm. Alvin Holsey’s unexpected resignation troubling given growing fears of a possible U.S. conflict with Venezuela.
“Admiral Holsey’s resignation further deepens my concern that this administration is ignoring the hard-won lessons of previous U.S. military actions and the advice of our most experienced warfighters,” Reed said in a statement.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast)
