"On Tuesday the US president claimed that the military had killed 11 drug traffickers from Venezuela, posting footage of the strike that US officials said took place on a speedboat in international waters in the Caribbean. The administration supplied no evidence for its claim that the boat contained Tren de Aragua members, or drugs, and gave varying accounts of its destination."
"Earlier this year, Mr Trump secretly ordered the use of military force against cartels internationally. With US warships patrolling the coast of Venezuela and F35 fighter jets reportedly dispatched to Puerto Rico some fear that this could be pretext for a disastrous intervention, as its president, Nicolas Maduro, has suggested. Alternatively, Washington may hope it unnerves other regime members into unseating him, or prompts Mr Maduro himself to flee two longstanding dreams. The US has already offered a $50m bounty for his arrest."
Richard Nixon launched a war on drugs more than five decades ago that failed. Donald Trump has escalated US responses by authorizing military strikes against alleged drug traffickers abroad. The administration claimed the military killed 11 Venezuelan traffickers and released footage, while offering no evidence linking the boat to Tren de Aragua, drugs, or a clear destination. Officials suggested more strikes and justified aggressive interception. US warships and F35 jets have been deployed near Venezuela and Puerto Rico, raising fears of intervention or efforts to unseat Nicolás Maduro. A $50m bounty for Maduro and secret cartel operations ordered earlier this year expand executive wartime powers.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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