Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Washington, October 15 (Xinhua) — The U.S. military struck a vessel allegedly linked to drug cartels in international waters off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday, killing six people on board, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his TruthSocial social media page.
This brings the death toll from a series of US strikes on drug cartel-linked vessels near Venezuela to 27 since September.
According to D. Trump, American intelligence confirmed that the vessel was following a known route and was linked to illegal drug-terrorist networks.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration notified Congress in a memorandum that the United States is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, which the country has designated as terrorist organizations and their members as “unlawful combatants.”
The memorandum does not specify which drug cartels are being referred to or what standards the US government will use to determine whether an individual is sufficiently connected to a drug cartel to warrant prosecution.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has repeatedly accused the United States of using threats from drug cartels as a pretext for regime change in the country and a military buildup in Latin America. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.