In a dramatic announcement that has sent ripples across the Caribbean and Latin America, President Donald Trump confirmed on October 17 that the US military destroyed a submarine allegedly smuggling drugs near Venezuelan waters. The strike marks the latest in a series of increasingly aggressive American operations against what Washington has branded as “narcoterrorist” targets.

“We attacked a submarine, and that was a drug-carrying submarine built specifically for the transportation of massive amounts of drugs,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Just so you understand, this was not an innocent group of people,” he added, suggesting that the crew had ties to criminal cartels.

The attack follows at least five similar strikes against surface vessels since September – all reportedly linked to Venezuelan-based cartels. For the first time, however, survivors have been reported among the crew, marking a new and controversial turn in a campaign that critics say blurs the line between counter-narcotics policing and acts of war.

The US Navy reportedly located and targeted the drug-smuggling submarine on October 16, acting on intelligence suggesting that it was carrying large quantities of narcotics intended for Central American and US markets. A US official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, confirmed that several individuals had survived the strike and were detained aboard a US warship. Their identities, conditions, and legal status remain undisclosed.

The Pentagon has not issued an official statement about the incident or clarified whether medical aid was provided to the survivors. This silence has intensified scrutiny over how the US military is conducting these operations – and whether it is adhering to international humanitarian standards that mandate assistance to wounded or shipwrecked individuals at sea.

Prior to this latest operation, US forces had destroyed at least five suspected drug boats in........

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