President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth say the US military has killed at least 37 people in less than two months. nine strikes Against drug smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean.
Trump has justified the attacks As a necessary increase to stop the flow of drugs into the United States. He has claimed that America is involved in this “Armed conflict” with drug cartels.Relying on the same legal authority that the Bush Administration used when it declared the War on Terror after the September 11 attacks.
But as the number of strikes has increased, the debate in Congress has intensified limits of presidential powerThe attacks took place without any legal investigation or traditional declaration of war from Congress and some MPs questions have been raised About this lack of solid evidence To justify the killings.
Meanwhile, an unusual naval buildup has taken place in South America created fear of attack There is further speculation in Venezuela that Trump may try to drop President Nicolas Maduro, who faces Drug terrorism allegations in America
Here’s a timeline of US military actions and some lawmakers’ concerns:
20th January
trump signs an executive order On his first day back in the White House, that paved the way for criminal organizations and drug cartels to be designated “foreign terrorist organizations.” These also include Venezuela’s street gang Tren de Aragua.
The US intelligence community has disputed Trump’s central claim is that Maduro’s administration is working with the Tren de Aragua and promoting drug trafficking and illegal immigration to the US.
February 20
trump administration formally designates Eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations.
This label is typically reserved for groups like al-Qaeda or Islamic State that use violence for political purposes – not for profit-focused crime groups.
August 19
US officials confirm military Three Aegis guided-missile destroyers deployed in Venezuelan waters as part of Trump’s effort to deal with threats from Latin American drug cartels.
The naval force in the Caribbean grew within a few weeks to include three amphibious assault ships and two other US Navy ships, totaling approximately 6,000 sailors and Marines. Amphibious assault ships carry a variety of aircraft, and the US deployed F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in September.
A naval submarine is also operating from South America and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.
september 2
America takes his first hit There was a drug-carrying ship that set sail against what Trump says Venezuela and was operated by Tren de Aragua.
Trump says 11 people were killed and also posts a short video clip showing flames rising from a small plane. The video does not show any large or obvious cache of drugs inside the boat.
September 10
In a letter to the White HouseSenator Tim Kaine of Virginia and two dozen other Democratic senators say the Trump administration has provided “no valid legal justification” for the strike.
The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said in a floor speech that week that the U.S. military “is not competent to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial.”
september 11
In Venezuela, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello American government accused of murderQuestioning how those on board the targeted ship were connected to the gang.
“And how did they identify them as members of the Tren de Aragua? Did they have, I don’t know, a chip? Did they have a QR code and (the U.S. military) read it from above in the dark?” Cabello said. “He openly confessed to the murder of 11 people.”
September 15
us Army makes his second attack against an alleged drug boat, resulting in the death of three people.
Asked what evidence the US had that the ship was carrying drugs, Trump told reporters: “We have evidence. You just have to look at the cargo that was scattered all over the ocean – huge bags of cocaine and fentanyl scattered everywhere.”
19 september
Trump says US military carried it out This is the third fatal attack against an alleged drug smuggling ship. The president says three people were killed in the attack and that intelligence “confirmed that the ship was smuggling illegal narcotics.”
Many senators and human rights groups continue questioning the validity Strikes were described as a potential encroachment on executive authority.
2 October
trump Declares drug cartels as unlawful combatants And the US is now in “armed conflict” with them, according to a Trump administration memo obtained by The Associated Press.
It appears that the memorandum represents an extraordinary event President’s claim of war powersTrump effectively announced this drug trafficking In the US it is equivalent to armed conflict requiring the use of military force.
The memo was criticized by some lawmakers, including Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. He said that only Congress has the authority to declare war and described the memo as “a way to pretend” that the administration is informing lawmakers with the justification for the strikes.
3 October
Hegseth says he ordered fourth attack on a small boat He accused them of carrying drugs into Venezuelan waters. They say four people died in the attack, but no details have been given about who they were or what group they belonged to.
Trump said in his social media post that the boat was “loaded with enough drugs to kill 25 to 50 thousand people” and that it was “entering US territory” off the coast of Venezuela.
8th October
senate republican vote the law This would require the President to seek authorization from Congress before further military attacks on the cartels.
The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48–51, with two Republicans, Paul and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, voting in favor and Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voting against.
14 October
Trump announced the fifth attack Against a small boat accused of carrying drugs, saying it caused the death of six people. The President says that “intelligence” has confirmed that the ship was connected to a “narcoterrorist network” and was smuggling narcotics on a known drug trafficking route.
15 October
Trump confirmed He authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and says he was considering conducting ground operations in the country.
The president says the administration is “looking for ground” as it considers further attacks in the area. He declined to say whether the CIA had the authority to take action maduro,
16 October
Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the area says he will retire In December.
Admiral Alvin Holsey had become leader of U.S. Southern Command just last November, overseeing a region covering the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. This type of posting generally lasts between three to four years.
16 October
Trump says US attacks sixth suspected drug-carrying ship in Caribbean. killed two people and left two alive Who were on semi-submersible craft.
The President later said that the survivors would be sent to Ecuador and ColombiaHis home country, “for detention and prosecution.” Extradition avoided the question of what their legal status would be in the US justice system.
17 October
us Army attacks the seventh ship Hegseth says he was carrying “a substantial amount of narcotics” and was linked to a Colombian rebel group, National Liberation Army, or ELNThey say all three “terrorists” on board the ship were killed in the attack.
When Hegseth announced the strike on 19 October, he provided no evidence for his claim, but shared a brief video clip of a boat engulfed in flames.
20 October
Representative Adam Smith, a ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called for hearings on the boat attacks.
Smith said in a statement about Holsey’s impending departure, “In my more than 20 years on the committee, I have never before seen a combatant commander leave his position so quickly and amid so much turmoil.” “I have never seen such a blatant lack of transparency on the part of an administration and department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.”
21st October
A team of independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council criticized the “covert actions and threats” being used by the US against Venezuela, saying the attacks were taking place without a proper legal basis.
“These actions also violate fundamental international obligations not to interfere in the domestic affairs of or threaten to use armed force against another country,” the experts said in a statement. “These steps are an extremely dangerous escalation with serious implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region.”
The statement said experts have conveyed their concerns to US officials.
21st October
Hegseth says US Army launched it Eighth attack against a ship carrying alleged drugsTwo people died in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The attack, announced on social media a day later, marks an expansion of the military’s target area and a change in the waters off South America, where cocaine is smuggled from the world’s largest producers.
22 October
Hegseth announced a ninth attack, another in the eastern Pacific Ocean, saying three people were killed. The video he posted on social media shows a boat moving, an explosion, then flames and smoke coming out of the ship. The footage appears to show several packages floating on water.
