Venezuela Says None Of The 11 Killed In U.S. Boat Strike Were Gang Members, Calls It “Murder”

Venezuelan authorities have confirmed that none of the 11 people killed in a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean last week were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, contradicting earlier reports and U.S. statements.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, speaking on state television, said Venezuela conducted its own investigations and confirmed through local inquiries that none of the victims were gang members or drug traffickers.

Cabello criticised the U.S. for using lethal force and called the strike a “murder” of innocent people. He questioned how the U.S. could identify the victims as members of Tren de Aragua, sarcastically asking whether they had identification “chips” or “QR codes” visible from the air, and why they were not arrested instead.

The U.S. administration has claimed the boat was carrying illegal narcotics and gang members, but has not provided further information despite demands from U.S. Congress members for an explanation.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly described the victims as “Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists” and accused them of attempting to bring drugs into the U.S. She also reiterated that Maduro is not Venezuela’s legitimate president.

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The Venezuelan government claimed that a video of the strike shared by President Donald Trump was artificially generated. Meanwhile, U.S. national security officials acknowledged in a closed Capitol Hill briefing that the boat had been fired on multiple times after allegedly turning back toward shore, according to anonymous sources familiar with the briefing.

In response to the strike, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the deployment of 25,000 troops along the Caribbean coast and the border with Colombia, a key region for drug trafficking.

Maduro said the forces would include military, police, and civilian units stationed at 284 “battlefront” locations across the country to defend national sovereignty and maintain security. Maduro said his forces were ready for an armed fight if necessary.

The U.S. has also increased its military presence in the southern Caribbean, deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield. In the previous month, the U.S. increased its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, linking him to drug trafficking and criminal networks. Venezuela denies the claims, saying it neither produces nor traffics drugs.

References: Reuters, Firstpost

Source: Maritime Shipping News