VIDEO | 11 suspects killed after US forces strike drug-smuggling boat in Caribbean

US President Donald Trump has stated that US military forces, acting on his orders, recently conducted a "kinetic strike" against "positively identified Tren de Aragua [TDA] narcoterrorists" in the US Southern Command's area of responsibility.

In a social media post that includes video footage of the supposed operation, Mr Trump said that the strike resulted in, "11 terrorists killed in action," and that no US forces were harmed.

"TDA is a designated foreign terrorist organisation, operating under the control of [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere," said Mr Trump.

"The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in international waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States."

The strike came amid the ongoing buildup of US forces in the Southern Caribbean as a measure to counter what officials in Washington said are threats posed by Latin American drug cartels.

The Venezuelan Government under President Nicolas Maduro has criticised the buildup, calling it the start of a planned regime change.