By Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military carried out a new attack on Thursday against a suspected drug trafficking ship in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first case of its kind, there were survivors among the crew, a U.S. official told Reuters.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer additional details about the incident, which had not been previously reported. But it raises new questions, including whether the U.S. military provided aid to the survivors and whether they are now in U.S. military custody.
The Pentagon, which has called those it targeted in the attacks narcoterrorists, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before Thursday’s operation, U.S. military strikes on suspected drug trafficking ships off Venezuela killed at least 27 people, raising alarm among some legal experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether they respect the laws of war.
The Trump administration argues that the United States is already involved in a war with Venezuelan narcoterrorist groups, making the attacks legitimate.
Videos presented by the Trump administration of previous attacks showed vessels completely destroyed and there have been no previous accounts from survivors.
The attacks come against the backdrop of a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that includes guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops as President Donald Trump escalates a standoff with the Venezuelan government.
On Wednesday, Trump revealed that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela, adding to speculation in Caracas that the United States is trying to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
In a letter to the 15-member United Nations Security Council, seen by Reuters, Venezuela’s U.N. ambassador Samuel Moncada called for the U.N. to determine that U.S. attacks off its coast are illegal and to issue a statement supporting Venezuela’s sovereignty.
Less than a week ago, the Pentagon announced that its counternarcotics operations in the region would not be led by the Miami-based Southern Command, which oversees US military activities in Latin America.
Instead, the Pentagon said a task force was being created that would be led by the II Marine Expeditionary Force, a unit capable of conducting rapid overseas operations based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
That decision came as a surprise to U.S. military observers, since a combatant command like Southern Command would normally lead any high-profile operation.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the admiral who heads the US Southern Command will resign at the end of this year, two years earlier than expected, in a surprise move.
The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Jack Reed, called Admiral Alvin Holsey’s unexpected resignation concerning, given growing fears of a possible US confrontation with Venezuela.
“Admiral Holsey’s resignation only deepens my concern that this administration is ignoring the hard-learned lessons of past U.S. military campaigns and the advice of our most experienced warfighters,” Reed said in a statement.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast.)