In the wake of the recent blowing up of a suspected narco-terrorist boat off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said the military operation killed 11 members of the Tren de Aragua gang, reports the BBC. Trump insisted that the vessel was in international waters and was transporting illegal narcotics bound for the U.S.
Trump posted on Truth Social about the strike, warning, “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!”
During an appearance on Fox News, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth outlined the mission moving forward.
"Protect the homeland. Protect the American people. Core national interests, the safety of the American people, stop the killing, stop the poisoning of the American people – it's as simple as that,” says Hegseth. “President Trump is locking the border down. He's done that and we're going to continue to do that."
Hegseth further asks how long drug cartels have waged war on U.S. communities, families, young people, streets and how long these violent cartels made their way easily across the southern border under Joe Biden and his disastrous policy.
He says now the U.S. goes on offense to ensure that these cartels cannot be funded or sustain their operations. However, he clarifies that does not mean the government is about to fight every cartel everywhere endlessly.
“We're not trading one endless fight for another endless fight. It's the precise application of American power to send very clear signals that narco-terrorism will not be tolerated in our hemisphere. If you want to traffic drugs that are headed for the United States… We're not doing it with kid gloves anymore," concludes Hegseth.
