VIDEO | Trump says US forces struck drug trafficking vessel near Venezuela

Screenshot of video showing drug trafficking boat before being struck by US forces
Screenshot of video showing drug trafficking boat before being struck by US forcesUS President Donald Trump's social media
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A US strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday killed six suspected drug traffickers, President Donald Trump said, the latest such operation in recent weeks.

The strike is the most recent example of Trump's efforts to use US military power in new ways, from deploying active-duty US troops in Los Angeles to carrying out counter-terrorism strikes against drug trafficking suspects.

In a post on social media, Trump said the strike had been carried out against a designated terrorist organization, but he did not provide any details on which group.

"Intelligence confirmed the vessel was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks," Trump said.

A roughly 30-second video, which Trump posted, appeared to show a stationary vessel in a body of water being hit with a projectile before exploding.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart. Additional reporting Jasper Ward and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Katharine Jackson and Chris Reese)

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