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President Donald Trump shared a new video to Truth Social on Friday of a “lethal kinetic strike” on a boat connected to a “Designated Terrorist Organization” in the U.S. Southern Command region of responsibility, he said.
Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon via email for additional information.
Why It Matters
Trump’s announcement of the fatal U.S. military strike against a vessel suspected of drug trafficking marks another significant escalation in the use of American military force in counternarcotics operations within the Western Hemisphere.
The strike—resulting in three deaths—was accompanied by the release of a video on Trump’s social media account.
What To Know
In the post, Trump said the strike in international waters resulted in three fatalities.
“Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking illicit narcotics, and was transiting along a known narcotrafficking passage enroute to poison Americans,” he said in part, adding that no U.S. forces were injured.
“STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA, AND COMMITTING VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM AGAINST AMERICANS!!!” his post concluded.
On Monday, Trump announced via his Truth Social platform that U.S. military forces had conducted a “SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.” He said that three people aboard the vessel were also killed, and that no U.S. personnel were harmed.
This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
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