The USA navy has reportedly carried out a strike on one other alleged drug smuggling vessel, because the admiral overseeing the Trump administration’s controversial marketing campaign within the Caribbean introduced his shock departure.
A US official, talking on situation of anonymity, confirmed the strike on Thursday. The official mentioned that, in what gave the impression to be a primary, there have been additionally survivors among the many crew.
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The official didn’t supply extra particulars in regards to the incident, which has not been beforehand reported. The Pentagon and US President Donald Trump are but to publicly affirm the assault.
Previous to this newest strike, the US had carried out 5 assaults on alleged drug smuggling vessels within the Caribbean since early September, killing at the least 27 individuals.
The strikes have drawn the condemnation of authorized specialists, rights teams and Democratic lawmakers, who criticise their extrajudicial nature and query whether or not they adhere to US and worldwide regulation.
The Trump administration argues the strikes are reputable because the US is already engaged in a battle with “narco-terrorist” teams from Venezuela, and drug traffickers are illegal combatants who have to be met with navy pressure.
Venezuela has repeatedly condemned the strikes, most just lately on Thursday when Caracas’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, known as on the UN Safety Council to analyze what he known as the “collection of assassinations”.
In his speech, Moncada described an assault on a small boat within the Caribbean on Tuesday – the newest to be confirmed by President Trump – as a “new set of extrajudicial executions”.
Six individuals had been killed in that assault, together with reportedly two fishermen from Trinidad and Tobago, whom Moncada referenced in his speech.
“There’s a killer prowling the Caribbean,” Moncada mentioned, holding up native newspaper The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, which featured a narrative detailing the lives of the 2 males.
Solely a few miles separate Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, with the continued navy strikes spooking fishermen within the Caribbean island dual-nation.
“Folks from completely different nations … are struggling the results of those massacres,” he added. “There is no such thing as a justification in any respect … They’re fabricating a battle.”
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is but to remark. Following Washington’s first strike on a vessel on September 3, she mentioned, “I’ve no sympathy for traffickers; the US navy ought to kill all of them violently”.
The strikes come in opposition to the backdrop of an unprecedented US military buildup within the Caribbean, as President Trump escalates a standoff with the federal government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Since late August, the US has deployed guided missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops to the area with the acknowledged purpose of combating drug trafficking.
Trump has additionally floated the concept of conducting land strikes in opposition to Venezuelan cartels, whereas he authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations contained in the nation on Wednesday.
Caracas has accused Washington of trying to overthrow Maduro – whom the US accuses of main a narco-empire and has provided a $50m reward for – to instigate regime change within the nominally socialist South American nation.
Talking in a televised deal with following Trump’s authorisation of floor operations in Venezuela, Maduro spoke on to the US public as he declared “no to CIA-orchestrated coups d’etat”.
“No to regime change, which reminds us a lot of the countless, failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and so forth,” he mentioned.
On behalf of the Division of Struggle, we lengthen our deepest gratitude to Admiral Alvin Holsey for his greater than 37 years of distinguished service to our nation as he plans to retire at yr’s finish. A local of Fort Valley, Georgia, Admiral Holsey has exemplified the best…
— Secretary of Struggle Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 16, 2025
Additionally on Thursday, the US admiral overseeing the strikes within the Caribbean introduced he’ll retire only a yr into his tenure.
Admiral Alvin Holsey, the top of US Southern Command that’s accountable for forces working in Central and South America, didn’t present an evidence for his departure, which comes two years forward of schedule.
“Efficient 12 December 2025 I’ll retire from the US Navy,” Holsey mentioned in a press release posted on Southern Command’s X account.
“It’s been an honor to serve our nation, the American individuals and assist and defend the Structure for over 37 years,” he added.
In a submit on X, US Secretary of Protection Pete Hegseth praised Holsey’s profession and mentioned the admiral “demonstrated unwavering dedication to mission, individuals, and nation”.
“His tenure as Navy Deputy Commander and now Commander of United States Southern Command displays a legacy of operational excellence and strategic imaginative and prescient,” he mentioned.
