"The U.S. military killed six alleged drug smugglers off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said, the latest development in an ongoing military campaign that has raised questions about his legal authority to use lethal force against vessels suspected of transporting illicit narcotics. Writing on social media, Trump said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had ordered the strike "under my standing authorities as commander in chief.""
"This is the fifth reported strike conducted by U.S. forces since September targeting vessels the administration has alleged are carrying drugs. The operations have killed 27 people combined, the Trump administration has said. At the same time, it has not publicly disclosed evidence verifying the vessels were carrying drugs, that the people aboard them were confirmed criminals or what country they came from."
"Trump has argued he has the legal authority to conduct these strikes because he has determined the United States is in "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels. Some in Congress, which has the sole authority to declare war and has not formally authorized the use of force in this instance, have pushed backed against the president claims. Lawmakers from both parties have been frustrated with what they say is a lack of information from the administration about its objectives."
The U.S. military killed six alleged drug smugglers off Venezuela’s coast, with the strike ordered under presidential standing authorities. The six were labeled "narcoterrorists" and said to be affiliated with a designated terrorist organization that was not identified. The strike occurred in international waters just off Venezuela; an overhead video shows a boat idling, then struck and bursting into flames. The operation was the fifth reported strike since September targeting suspected drug-carrying vessels, and U.S. forces have said 27 people have been killed overall. The administration has not publicly released evidence verifying drugs aboard, identities, or nationalities, and members of Congress have challenged the legal basis and sought more information; a Senate effort to block further strikes narrowly failed.
Read at The Washington Post
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