«We’re so good at it that there are no boats, in fact, even fishing boats.»
In the Caribbean
President Donald Trump commented on the recent U.S. military strikes against boats in the Caribbean, allegedly carrying drugs toward the United States, labeling the strikes «An Act of Kindness».
During an event
According to The New York Times, while speaking aboard an aircraft carrier off the coast of Virginia during an event marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy, President Trump praised U.S. forces for their effectiveness in the Caribbean military operations led by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, claiming that their operations near Venezuela had been so successful that not a single fishing boat remained at sea.
Even fishing boats
«We’re so good at it that there are no boats, in fact, even fishing boats,» boasted Trump about the controversial attack in international waters.
By land
The president claimed the strikes were so effective that the U.S. military would have to change tactics and begin tracking them on land, since no boats remained at sea: «We’ll have to start looking about the land because they’ll be forced to go by land.»
In early September
This military operation targeting Venezuelan drug cartels began in early September, with the Trump administration announcing at least four strikes.
No evidence
According to reports, at least 21 «drug smugglers» were said to have been killed, although the U.S. military has provided no evidence that those on the boats were indeed members of drug cartels.
International law
U.S. military tactics have sparked controversy, with international observers warning that the use of force is permitted under international law only in cases of imminent threat or with UN approval.
A few weeks ago
As the UN noted a few weeks ago, when the United States had just carried out its first military operations in the Caribbean: «International law does not allow governments to simply murder alleged drug traffickers.»
Non-state armed groups
But according to CNN, the Pentagon justified the strikes by arguing that the legal rationale rested on the claim that «The cartels involved have grown more armed, well organized, and violent… now transnational and conducting ongoing attacks throughout the Western Hemisphere as organized cartels.» It further stated: «The President determined these cartels are non-state armed groups, designated them as terrorist organizations, and determined that their actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.»