President Donald Trump announced that the United States will be sending back two individuals who survived a strike on what he termed a “drug-laden submarine” to their respective home countries, Ecuador and Colombia.
In a post on social media, Trump stated that two additional individuals lost their lives in the US strike on the vessel, which he claimed US intelligence verified was “filled primarily with Fentanyl and other illicit drugs”.
The assault on Thursday marks at least the sixth US attack on ships in the Caribbean in recent weeks, and it’s the first instance in which survivors have been reported.
Prior strikes have resulted in at least 27 fatalities in the waters off Venezuela, as per details shared by the administration.
The two rescued individuals were evacuated by a US military helicopter and subsequently transferred to a US warship in the Caribbean, according to unnamed American officials who spoke to the media.
On Saturday night, Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X, “We have received the Colombian detained in the drug submarine; we are pleased he is alive and will face legal proceedings as per our laws.”
In recent weeks, Trump has intensified his threats against the leadership of Venezuela, alleging that the country is exporting drugs to the US. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused Trump of attempting to turn the South American nation into “an American colony”.
Trump has justified the ongoing attacks on boats, asserting that they aim to curb the influx of drugs from Latin America into the US, although his administration has not supplied evidence or specifics regarding the identities of the vessels or their occupants.
“It was a tremendous honor for me to eliminate a substantial DRUG-LADEN SUBMARINE that was heading towards the United States on a well-known drug trafficking route,” Trump remarked in his Truth Social post on Saturday.
“The two surviving terrorists are being sent back to their home countries, Ecuador and Colombia, for arrest and prosecution.”
He also noted that no US military personnel suffered injuries in the strike.
On Friday, the US President indicated that the submarine involved in the latest assault was “specifically designed to transport large quantities of drugs”.
“This was not an innocent group of individuals. I don’t know many people who own submarines, and that was a strike against a drug-laden, armed submarine,” he further stated.
UN-appointed human rights advocates have categorized the US strikes as “extrajudicial executions”.
Trump previously informed reporters that he had authorized the CIA to conduct secretive operations in Venezuela, and that he was contemplating launching strikes on Venezuelan territory.
Narco-subs have gained popularity as a method for transporting drugs, as they can often evade detection and are capable of being sunk post-delivery. They are frequently homemade and built using fibreglass and plywood.
The US, alongside various coastal nations, has previously intercepted some of these submarines.
