Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
President Donald Trump said Monday that the US carried out a fresh strike on what he said was a boat used by Venezuela n drug gangs, killing three people in what one human rights campaigner called another 'extrajudicial execution.
' 'This morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the area of responsibility,' Trump said on his Truth Social network. 'The Strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in International Waters transporting illegal narcotics headed to the US.''These extremely violent drug trafficking cartels POSE A THREAT to US National Security, Foreign Policy, and vital US Interests,' the Republican president continued. 'The Strike resulted in three male terrorists killed in action. No US Forces were harmed in this Strike.''BE WARNED—IF YOU ARE TRANSPORTING DRUGS THAT CAN KILL AMERICANS, WE ARE HUNTING YOU!' Trump added. 'The illicit activities by these cartels have wrought DEVASTATING CONSEQUENCES ON AMERICAN COMMUNITIES FOR DECADES, killing millions of American Citizens. NO LONGER. Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!'US President Trump just announced that a second drug smuggling boat from Venezuela was hit by a US airstrike in the Caribbean, killing 3 people on board the boat.#Venezuela pic.twitter.com/dO34gYr9GZ— CNW September 15, 2025 Responding to arguments by legal experts and Venezuelan officials that the September 2 strike was illegal, Trump said Sunday that 'what's illegal are the drugs that were on the boat... and the fact that 300 million people died last year from drugs.'Only 62 million people died in the entire world of all causes last year, making Trump's claim impossibly false.Monday's attack followed the September 2 bombing of a vessel allegedly transporting cocaine off the Venezuelan coast, a strike that killed 11 people. Venezuelan officials say none of the 11 men were members of the Tren de Aragua gang, as claimed by Trump.On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an executive order designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Last month, the president reportedly signed a secret order directing the Pentagon to use military force to combat drug cartels abroad, sparking fears of renewed US aggression in a region that has endured well over 100 US attacks, invasions, occupations, and other interventions since the issuance of the dubious Monroe Doctrine in 1823.The Intercept's Nick Turse reported Monday that the Trump administration's recently rebranded Department of War 'is thwarting congressional oversight' of the September 2 attack.“I’m incredibly disturbed by this new reporting that the Trump administration launched multiple strikes on the boat off Venezuela,” Congresswoman Sara Jacobs said in response to Turse's reporting. “They didn’t even bother to seek congressional authorization, bragged about these killings—and teased more to come.”Common Dreams reported last week that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar introduced a war powers resolution seeking to restrain Trump from conducting attacks in the Caribbean.Also last week, Sen. Tim Kaine led a letter signed by two dozen Democratic colleagues and Sen. Bernie Sanders asserting that the Trump administration offered 'no legitimate justification' for the first boat strike.It's not just congressional Democrats who have decried Trump's September 2 attack. Last week, Sen. Rand Paul said that 'the recent drone attack on a small speedboat over 2,000 miles from our shore without identification of the occupants or the content of the boat is in no way part of a declared war, and defies our longstanding Coast Guard rules of engagement.'“What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial,' Paul later added.Paul also mirrored Democratic lawmakers' questioning of Trump's narrative that the boat bombed on September 2 was heading to the United States. Echoing congressional critics, Daphne Eviatar, director of Amnesty International's Security With Human Rights program, said of Monday's attack, 'Today, President Trump claimed his administration carried out another lethal strike against a boat in the Caribbean.''This is an extrajudicial execution, which is murder,' Eviatar added. 'There is no legal justification for this military strike. The US must be held accountable.'
Daphne Eviatar Donald Trump Drug Trafficking Ilhan Omar Monroe Doctrine Nick Turse Rand Paul Sara Jacobs Tim Kaine Tren De Aragua Trump Administration Us Department Of War Us Imperialism Us Military War On Drugs War Powers Act Venezuela
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade apologizes for saying mentally ill homeless people should be executedFox News host Brian Kilmeade has apologized for advocating the execution of mentally ill homeless people.
Read more »
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade apologizes for saying mentally ill homeless people should be executedFox News host Brian Kilmeade has apologized for advocating the execution of mentally ill homeless people.
Read more »
Fox News' Brian Kilmeade apologizes for saying mentally ill homeless people should be executedFox News host Brian Kilmeade has apologized for advocating the execution of mentally ill homeless people.
Read more »
Chiefs blame mistakes, execution for unfamiliar 0-2 startThe Chiefs said their own mistakes played a large part in losing to the Eagles, a defeat that dropped them to 0-2 for the first time under Patrick Mahomes.
Read more »
Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade apologizes for remark about homelessFox News Channel host Brian Kilmeade apologized on Sunday for advocating for the execution of mentally ill homeless people in a discussion on the network last...
Read more »
Fox News host apologizes for saying mentally ill homeless people should be executedFox News Channel host Brian Kilmeade apologized for advocating for the execution of mentally ill homeless people in a discussion on the network.
Read more »