Trump's Caribbean Killing Spree

"On Deptember 2, the US military sank a go-fast boat in the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, killing 11. The United States then hit two more boats, on September 15 and 19, killing another six people. The Army attacked another craft off Venezuela's coast in early October, reporting four fatalities on board. Trump has also since notified Congress that the US is in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels in the region."

"The murders were premeditated. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order designating Latin American drug cartels as terrorist organizations. A month later, the State Department added Venezuela's Tren de Aragua to the list. On August 8, The New York Times reported that Trump had "secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels.""

"Clearly, the United States was on the hunt for something to attack and someone to kill. A chance came early in September, when US Southern Command apparently spotted an open-air speedboat leaving a small fishing village in eastern Venezuela. A missile, probably fired from a drone, destroyed the boat and killed all on board. The White House has presented no evidence of drug trafficking on this boat, or on the others the United States attacked."

US forces sank multiple boats off Venezuela between early September and October, resulting in at least 21 deaths. The administration designated Latin American drug cartels as terrorist organizations and added Venezuela's Tren de Aragua to the list. A reported secret directive ordered the Pentagon to use military force against certain cartels, prompting internal deliberations about whether killing suspected cartel members would amount to murder. A drone- or missile-strike destroyed an open-air speedboat leaving a Venezuelan fishing village. The White House has presented no evidence that the attacked boats were involved in drug trafficking, and those killed were not charged with crimes. Intelligence indicates Tren de Aragua functions as a loose confederation of local criminals and is not a centralized international cartel capable of large-scale cocaine shipments.

Read at The Nation