That the US Central Intelligence Agency launched a drone strike on what US President Donald Trump claims is an illicit drug-loading area in Venezuela. The possible first US attack inside the country could raise further questions about the legality of a US anti-narcotic campaign under international law.
Trump announced on Monday that the US struck a dock area used to load boats with drugs, but he did not mention when or where the attack took place.
CNN on Monday cited sources familiar with the matter as saying the CIA carried out a drone strike earlier this month on a port facility on the coast of Venezuela. It said this could be the first known US attack on a target inside that country.
CNN reported the US government believed the dock was being used by a Venezuelan gang to store drugs and move them onto boats for onward shipping. It added that no one was present at the facility at the time, and there were no casualties.
So far, the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has not officially commented on Trump’s remarks or US media reports.
The Trump administration has conducted a series of armed attacks on vessels in the Caribbean that it has accused of smuggling drugs.
