Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said U.S. forces had attacked a vessel operated by “narco-terrorists” in the Caribbean, killing three people on board.

Why It Matters

The U.S. has stepped up its efforts to counter drug trafficking in the waters off South America, saying the American public has to be protected from the scourge of narcotics.

Some critics of the U.S. campaign say it amounts to extrajudicial killing and that its main objective is the removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. U.S. officials accuse Maduro of aiding narcotics networks. Caracas, in turn, has accused Washington of seeking regime change.

What To Know

“Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organ

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