President Donald Trump is poised to begin airstrikes against drug cartels operating in Venezuela.
The president explained on Wednesday that he might consult Congress to obtain authorization to carry out the strikes on cartel operatives attempting to smuggle narcotics into the U.S. by land, The Hill reported.
President Trump said Wednesday the administration may go to Congress for authorization to strike drug cartels that are smuggling narcotics on land.
“We will hit them very hard when they come in by land. And they haven’t experienced that yet, but now we’re totally prepared to do that. We’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when [they] come to the land,” the president said at the White House, sitting alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
Since early September, the U.S. military has been striking alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, killing at least 32 people.
The campaign is part of the administration’s pressure against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom the president and his allies view as an “illegitimate” leader. Trump has raised the prospect of striking Venezuela on land and has recently confirmed that he has authorized the CIA to conduct operations in the Latin American country.
The administration has beefed up its military presence near Venezuela, deploying Navy ships and Marines in the region.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier Wednesday that two “narco-terrorists” were killed in a strike against an alleged drug boat in the Eastern Pacific, the first such strike on that side of the continent.
The strike, which took place late Tuesday, is at least the eighth blow against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in Latin America since early September.
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BREAKING:
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President Trump says he will notify Congress of military strikes against land-based drug smuggling routes in Venezuela, stating “it needs to be done” in order to save lives.
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Trump characterized the issue as “a national security problem” and said the cartels “killed 300,000 people last year,” which gives him the legal authority to use military force.
The Trump administration has relied solely on airstrikes against Venezuelan boats believed to be carrying drugs meant for the United States. The airstrikes have killed nearly 30 people so far. This development signals that the White House plans to ramp up efforts against drug cartels.
Last week, Trump confirmed that he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela as the administration weighed expanding its military operations to ground targets. This could be part of an effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has engaged in a war of words with Trump. “We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump said.
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