Kill them': Trump says no Congress nod needed to attack narco-terrorists'

"Well, I don't think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war, Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday. list of 4 itemsend of list I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We're going to kill them, Trump said. Now they [drugs] are coming in by land you know, the land is going to be next, the US president added, echoing similar threats he has made in recent weeks to extend his administration's attacks to the territories of countries Washington accuses of enabling drug cartels to smuggle narcotics to the US."

"So far, the US military has carried out attacks on at least nine vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 37 people in what Washington has branded a military operation against narco-terrorists without providing any evidence to support its allegations of criminality. Washington's intensifying operation against so-called Latin American drug cartels has seen the deployment of US naval ships, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and thousands of troops to the Caribbean region."

"The US has also escalated rhetoric against the leaders of Venezuela and Colombia, accusing President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas and Gustavo Petro in Bogota of involvement in drug trafficking. Venezuela has accused the US of launching its anti-cartel campaign as part of a plot to overthrow President Maduro, who said on Wednesday that his armed forces have 5,000 Russian surface-to-air missiles to counter any US military intervention in his country."

The United States carried out attacks on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific and intends to extend strikes to land. At least nine vessels were attacked since early September, resulting in at least 37 deaths. The operations are described by Washington as targeting "narco-terrorists" despite no public evidence provided to support those allegations. The campaign has involved naval ships, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and thousands of troops deployed to the Caribbean. Congress will be briefed while a formal declaration of war is not being sought. Rhetoric has escalated against leaders in Venezuela and Colombia, and Venezuela alleges the campaign aims to overthrow its government and cites Russian surface-to-air missiles to deter intervention.

Read at www.aljazeera.com