Politics

Trump Orders Strike Off Venezuela Coast, Killing Six Alleged “Narcoterrorists”

U.S. military strike off Venezuela killed six. Trump said boat was drug trafficking, linked to terror.

October 14, 2025, 4:38 PM

An overhead aerial view shows a white vessel speeding across the water, leaving a large white wake behind it

This is a still from a video released by the U.S. government, showing a military strike on a drug-carrying vessel in the southern Caribbean Sea.

Executive Summary

The U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of six people.

President Trump announced the vessel was engaged in drug trafficking and linked to a “Designated Terrorist Organization,” though he did not specify the organization.

This incident is at least the fifth publicly announced U.S. strike of this nature, with President Trump sharing an unclassified video of the operation.

The Story So Far

The U.S. military strike off the Venezuelan coast, announced by President Trump, was presented as targeting a vessel involved in drug trafficking and linked to a “Designated Terrorist Organization,” operating on a recognized drug trafficking route. This action is part of a broader, ongoing U.S. strategy against alleged narcoterrorist networks, marking at least the fifth publicly announced similar operation.

Why This Matters

The U.S. military’s latest strike off the Venezuelan coast, resulting in six deaths, signals an ongoing assertive posture by President Trump’s administration against alleged narcoterrorist networks, which, coupled with the unspecified nature of the linked “Designated Terrorist Organization” and lack of supporting evidence, could heighten geopolitical tensions and raise questions about transparency in such operations.

Who Thinks What?

President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat off the Venezuelan coast, resulting in six deaths, because the vessel was engaged in drug trafficking and linked to a “Designated Terrorist Organization” and “illicit narcoterrorist networks.”

The U.S. military conducted a strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela, resulting in the deaths of six people, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday. Trump stated that the vessel was engaged in drug trafficking and was linked to a “Designated Terrorist Organization,” though he did not specify the organization or provide supporting evidence for the claim.

Details of the Strike

President Trump conveyed the details of the operation on his Truth Social platform. He asserted that intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, connected to “illicit narcoterrorist networks,” and was traversing a recognized drug trafficking route.

According to Trump, the strike occurred in International Waters, leading to the deaths of six individuals he described as “male narcoterrorists.” He also confirmed that no U.S. forces were harmed during the operation.

Context and Previous Operations

This incident marks at least the fifth occasion the United States has publicly announced such a strike. The Pentagon had previously reported another similar strike in early October.

President Trump also shared an unclassified video of the strike on his social media platform.

Summary

The U.S. military carried out a strike off the Venezuelan coast, killing six people on a boat alleged by President Trump to be involved in drug trafficking and terrorism. This action is the latest in a series of similar operations announced by the U.S. government.