This story was updated Sept. 2 at 8 p.m.
WASHINGTON 鈥� President said Tuesday the U.S. has carried out a strike in the southern Caribbean against a drug-carrying vessel that departed from and was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.
The president said in a social media posting that 11 people were killed in the rare U.S. military operation in the Americas, a dramatic escalation in the Republican administration's effort to stem the flow of narcotics from Latin America. Trump also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames.
鈥淭he strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States,鈥� Trump said on Truth Social. 鈥淣o U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America.鈥�
The video appears to show a long, multi-engine speedboat traveling at sea when a bright flash of light bursts over the craft. The boat is then briefly seen covered in flames.
READ MORE: Maduro vows to declare a 鈥榬epublic in arms鈥� if US forces in the Caribbean attack Venezuela
The video, which is largely in black and white, is not clear enough to see if the craft is carrying as many as 11 people. The video also did not show any large or clear stashes of drugs inside the boat.
Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago at an infamously lawless prison with hardened criminals in Venezuela鈥檚 central state of Aragua. The gang has expanded in recent years as more than 7.7 million Venezuelans fled economic turmoil and migrated to other Latin American countries or the U.S.
Trump and administration officials have repeatedly blamed the gang for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing that plague some cities. And the president on Tuesday repeated his claim 鈥� 鈥� that Tren de Aragua is operating under Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro's control.
The White House did not immediately explain how the military determined that those aboard the vessel were Tren de Aragua members. The size of the gang is unclear, as is the extent to which its actions are coordinated across state lines and national borders.
What Maduro had to sayAfter Trump announced the strike, Venezuelan state television showed Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores walking the streets of his childhood neighborhood. A television presenter said Maduro was 鈥渂athing in patriotic love鈥� as he interacted with supporters.
鈥淚n the face of imperialist threats, God (is) with us,鈥� Maduro told supporters.
Maduro did not address the strike directly, but charged that the U.S. is 鈥渃oming for Venezuela鈥檚 riches,鈥� including oil and gas. The South American country has the world鈥檚 largest proven oil reserves.
鈥淔rom the neighborhoods of Caracas ... I tell you, there will be peace in Venezuela, with sovereignty,鈥� he said.
Trump and Secretary of State first announced the strike earlier Tuesday, shortly before Rubio left on a trip to Mexico and Ecuador
In a brief exchange with reporters before departing Miami for Mexico City, Rubio deferred questions about the specifics of the strike to the Pentagon. He said the drugs on the vessel were likely headed to Trinidad or elsewhere in the Caribbean.
For years, Rubio has spoken out against Maduro and other Latin American leftist governments and supported opposition leaders. In 2018, during Trump鈥檚 first term, Rubio told Univision there was a 鈥渟trong argument鈥� to be made for the use of the U.S. military in Venezuela. He's also accused Venezuelan officials of aiding drug traffickers.
Asked if Trump would carry out operations on Venezuelan soil, Rubio was opaque. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to take on drug cartels wherever they are and wherever they鈥檙e operating against the interests of the United States,鈥� he said.
US sent destroyers to waters off VenezuelaThe operation came after the U.S. announced plans last month to boost its to combat .
Maduro's government has responded by deploying troops along Venezuela's coast and border with neighboring Colombia, as well as by urging Venezuelans to enlist in a civilian militia.
Maduro has insisted that the U.S. is building a false drug-trafficking narrative to try to force him out of office. He and other government officials have repeatedly cited a United Nations report that they say shows traffickers attempt to move only 5% of the cocaine produced in Colombia through Venezuela. Landlocked Bolivia and Colombia, with access to the Pacific and Caribbean, are the world鈥檚 top cocaine producers.
The latest U.N. World Drug Report shows that various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021, but it does not assign Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.
鈥淭he impact of increased cocaine trafficking has been felt in Ecuador in particular, which has seen a wave of lethal violence in recent years linked to both local and transnational crime groups, most notably from Mexico and the Balkan countries,鈥� according to the report.
Maduro on Monday told reporters he 鈥渨ould constitutionally declare a republic in arms鈥� if his country were attacked by U.S. forces deployed to the Caribbean.
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Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. AP journalists Matthew Lee in Mexico City, Adriana Gomez Licon in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Sagar Meghani in Washington contributed reporting.
