US strike kills 6 more, off Venezuelan coast

US president Donald Trump has announced that six people were killed in a military strike carried out in international waters off the coast of Venezuela on October 14, as part of ongoing operations targeting narcotrafficking routes.

President Trump posted the statement on X (formerly Twitter), and various officials, including US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, shared it.

“Under my Standing Authorities as commander-in-chief, this morning, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO) conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility — just off the Coast of Venezuela.”

Trump continued, “Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.”

The President described the six people killed, all males, as “narcoterrorists,” and emphasised that no US forces were harmed during the operation.

This marks the fifth such strike ordered under Trump’s direction in the past month.

On October 3, four people were killed, and on September 19, three people were killed.

Four days earlier, on September 15, three people were killed, and the first of the string of strikes took place on September 2 when 11 were reportedly killed.

The total number of deaths now stands at 27.

Each strike, according to US officials, has targeted vessels or facilities believed to be connected to a DTO involved in narcotrafficking within the USSOUTHCOM (US Southern Command) operational region.

Although the US authorities claim to be in the region to fight against narcoterrorism, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denounced the US military deployment in the waters, saying it was an attempt to try to oust him.

Maduro and other officials have repeatedly accused the US of trying to effect regime change in the South American nation.

Venezuelan authorities have vowed to protect the nation’s sovereignty and have continued to engage in nationwide activities such as the military operation titled Independence 200.

The operation seeks to strengthen the defense system against potential external threats, guarantee logistical support for combatants and preserve national sovereignty in the Atlantic and Caribbean region.

Tucupita-based media outlet Tane Tanae quoted Loa Tamaronis, governor of the Delta Amacuro State, on October 14, commenting on the operation.

“As children of this brave and libertarian land, we reaffirm our commitment to peace, territorial integrity, and the independence of our homeland,” Tamaronis said.

“Venezuela is not a colony and will not bow to any empire. Make no mistake. The blood of heroes and heroines runs through our veins.”

The Delta Amacuro State is just a few miles away from Cedros, Trinidad.

Several other officials, including Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello Rondón, have supported the call for protecting Venezuela against outside forces.

Over the weekend, via Facebook, he said: “Every time imperialism tried to step on this sacred land, it came out with its tail between its legs, defeated by the dignity of the Venezuelan people.”

“Here, there is no fear or surrender; there is history, courage, and conscience. We are the children of Bolivar, Chavez, Juana la Avanzadora and Manuel Piar, guardians of the free soil of Venezuela.”

The US regime does not acknowledge Maduro as the head of Venezuela and accuses him of facilitating narcoterrorism, a claim that Maduro has denied.

Newsday