Tension Escalates: US Assault on Pacific Vessel Leaves 3 Killed, Aircraft Arrives in Caribbean

By Staff, Agencies

The United States carried out a lethal strike on a boat in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three people, just as its most advanced aircraft carrier entered the Caribbean.

The US Southern Command claimed in a post on social media that “the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics.”

It did not give details on where the vessel was traveling from or what organization it was associated with.

It came as President Donald Trump signaled he may be open to talks with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.

“We may be having some discussions with Maduro, and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” the US president said on Sunday.

At the direction of US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, the Trump administration has been conducting strikes on vessels the US military alleges are transporting drugs.

The US has baselessly claimed that Maduro has ties to the illegal drug trade, which Maduro has repeatedly rejected.

The latest attack was the 21st known one on drug boats by the US military since early September in what it has called a justified effort to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the US.

The strikes have killed more than 80 people, according to Pentagon figures.

Lawmakers in Congress, human rights groups, and US allies have raised questions about the legality of the attacks.

The Trump administration, however, claims it has the legal authority to carry out the strikes, with the Justice Department providing a legal opinion that justifies them and argues that US military personnel who carry out the attacks are immune from prosecution.

The administration also has not publicly explained the legal justification for the decision to attack the boats rather than stop them and arrest those on board.

Despite US military buildup, Venezuela remains calm, seeing the threat as psychological warfare aimed at destabilization and resource control, while Maduro maintains public confidence and resilience.

The latest deadly strike came as the US Navy announced its most advanced aircraft carrier had arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of power that raised questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration’s intentions in South America.

The arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford and other warships rounds off the largest buildup of US firepower in the region in generations.

With its arrival, the mission now includes nearly a dozen navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and marines.