US kills 2 in first known strike on alleged drug boat since Maduro’s capture
The attack left one survivor, and the coastguard has been notified to launch search and rescue operations
The US military said on Friday that it had carried out a deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the first known attack since the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.
US Southern Command said on social media that the boat was “engaged in narco-trafficking operations” and that the strike killed two people and left one survivor.
It said it notified the coastguard to launch search and rescue operations for that person.
A video accompanying the post announcing the latest strike shows a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames.
The US military has focused lately on seizing sanctioned oil tankers with connections to Venezuela since the Trump administration launched an audacious raid to capture Maduro and bring him to New York to face drug trafficking charges.