President Trump says US forces destroyed a Venezuelan dock used for drug boats, marking a potential first land strike in the regional anti-trafficking campaign.
PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump (pic) confirmed the United States destroyed a docking area for alleged Venezuelan drug boats.
The incident could mark the first land strike of the US military campaign against trafficking from Latin America.
“There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
“So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area, it’s the implementation area, that’s where they implement.”
Trump would not specify if it was a military or CIA operation, noting only it was “along the shore.”
US media sources reported the CIA carried out a drone strike targeting the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
They reported no casualties as no one was present at the port facility at the time.
The Venezuelan government has not issued an official comment on the incident.
Trump revealed details after being asked about comments in a recent radio interview.
“They have a big plant or a big facility where they send, you know, where the ships come from,” he had said.
“Two nights ago, we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard.”
The confirmation comes as Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela’s leftist President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro has accused Trump of seeking regime change in the South American nation.
Separately, the US military announced another strike on a boat in the Eastern Pacific.
That operation killed two people, bringing the total killed in the maritime campaign to at least 107.
The administration has provided no public evidence the targeted boats were involved in drug trafficking.
International law experts say the strikes likely amount to extrajudicial killings, a charge Washington denies.
