The US military carried out an attack on a suspected Venezuelan drug cartel ship in international waters in the Caribbean on Thursday, and for the first time there were survivors, according to a US official.
The attack is at least the fifth the Trump administration has carried out against ships in international waters believed to be connected to Venezuelan drug cartels. At least 21 people were killed in four previous attacks and there were no survivors.
NBC News has reported that US lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the lack of information being provided to the White House about operations.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump made an extraordinary admission, confirming that he had authorized the CIA to take unspecified actions in Venezuela.
“Why did you authorize the CIA to enter Venezuela?” a reporter asked Trump at the White House.
“I authorized it for two reasons, really,” he responded. “No. 1, they have emptied their prisons in the United States of America.
“And the other thing is drugs,” he added. “We have a lot of drugs that come from Venezuela.”
