Without directly mentioning Venezuela, Trump says he will take ground action against cartels soon

US bombs another boat in the Pacific US President Donald Trump said this Thursday (23) that he must carry out military actions on land against cartels. He did not directly mention Venezuela. According to the president, the matter should be discussed with Congress. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The announcement was made one day after the bombing of a vessel in the Pacific Ocean, the ninth such attack in South America. According to the War Department, the boat was transporting drugs. Three people died. Speaking to journalists, Trump stated that he will not need to ask Congress for a declaration of war on the cartels. The president said that the United States will simply “kill those responsible for bringing drugs into the country.” Trump’s offensive against drug trafficking in the region has intensified in recent days. Until then, bombings had only been carried out in the Caribbean region, close to the Venezuelan coast. The US says the offensive targets international drug trafficking, but also accuses Nicolás Maduro of leading a cartel classified as a narco-terrorist organization. The Venezuelan denies it. The US president claimed to have authorized secret operations by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Venezuelan territory. Trump also accuses the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, of being a drug trafficker who fails to combat narcotics in his country. The Colombian denied the accusations. Alongside Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth stated that the American military will hunt down and kill all “terrorists” who traffic drugs into the United States. “These are designated foreign terrorist organizations. They are the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda Western Hemisphere. Our message to these foreign terrorist organizations is: We will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda.” Bombings of boats US bombs 2nd boat in Pacific Ocean War Department Earlier this week, when asked whether the US has the authority to bomb vessels in international waters, Trump responded yes. The president justified the actions by stating that 300,000 people die in the USA each year from drug-related problems. He said that attacks at sea will cause traffickers to start acting on land — and that, in this case, he will order land actions with the approval of Congress. “We’re going to hit them really hard when they come overland. And we’ll probably go to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when we come overland.” The American military presence in the Caribbean also includes destroyers with guided missiles, F-35 fighters, a nuclear submarine and around 6,500 troops. In recent weeks, American offensives have been criticized by analysts. On Tuesday (21), an independent group of experts from the United Nations (UN) stated that the bombings violate international law and constitute extrajudicial executions. The group, appointed by the Human Rights Council, said the attacks violate the South American country’s sovereignty and the US’ “fundamental international obligations” not to intervene in domestic matters or threaten to use armed force against another country. Despite Trump’s justification for combating drug trafficking, experts point out that “even if such allegations were proven, the use of lethal force in international waters without an adequate legal basis violates the international law of the sea and amounts to extrajudicial executions.” “These moves are an extremely dangerous escalation with serious implications for peace and security in the Caribbean region,” they said in a statement. The group said it had contacted the US about the issue and said covert or direct military action against another sovereign state would constitute “an even more serious violation” of the UN Charter. VIDEOS: trending on g1 See videos that are trending on g1

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