Screenshot via Truth Social.





U.S. forces struck a boat traveling in the Caribbean, killing three people on board, President Donald Trump said in a social media post. It’s the third such attack this month on vessels accused of transporting narcotics by sea.



Writing on his Truth Social app, Trump claimed that the boat was operating in international waters and was “trafficking illicit narcotics” through a “known narcotrafficking passage.” 



“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote. 





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The roughly one minute of footage shows the boat being hit by a munition and exploding. The video ends with the boat on fire.



After moving a large military force into the southern Caribbean in August, the United States has been conducting attacks and armed searches of ships traveling in the sea this month, in a declared mission to fight drug trafficking. Today’s strike is the third one this month and brings the total number of people killed to 17, per the White House’s numbers. It’s not immediately clear what branch of the military carried out the strike. In his post, Trump said that no American forces were harmed. The Department of Defense referred questions to the White House.



Hours before the strike, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war.”



An American airstrike hit a fast-moving Venezuelan boat on Sept. 2, killing 11. This past Monday on Sept. 15 another boat was hit, killing 3 on board. Video released showed the second boat not moving in the water. In all three strikes, the White House has accused the ships of being crewed by “narco-terrorists” linked to cartels. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated several cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” opening the door for military action under the United States’ counterterrorism laws. The government has accused one gang, Tren de Aragua, of being directly tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. said that the ship destroyed on Sept. 2 was crewed by Tren de Aragua members; the Venezuelan government denies that. 



Starting in August, the U.S. Navy began sending several ships into the Caribbean, including multiple destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser and a three-ship amphibious ready group, carrying the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. A fast-attack submarine was also dispatched. 10 F-35 fighter jets have been forward deployed to Puerto Rico, which is also serving as a base for MQ-9 Reaper drones.



After the first boat was hit, Venezuelan F-16s buzzed the USS Jason Dunham, a destroyer that was sent to the area. Soon after, personnel from that destroyer boarded and searched a Venezuelan fishing boat for drugs before releasing it after finding nothing.



Update: 9/20/2025; This article has been updated with additional information on the video shared by Trump and comments by Venezuelan officials.


 








Task & Purpose Video


Each week on Tuesdays and Fridays our team will bring you analysis of military tech, tactics, and doctrine.

Screenshot via Truth Social.





U.S. forces struck a boat traveling in the Caribbean, killing three people on board, President Donald Trump said in a social media post. It’s the third such attack this month on vessels accused of transporting narcotics by sea.



Writing on his Truth Social app, Trump claimed that the boat was operating in international waters and was “trafficking illicit narcotics” through a “known narcotrafficking passage.” 



“On my Orders, the Secretary of War ordered a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” Trump wrote. 





Top Stories This Week















The roughly one minute of footage shows the boat being hit by a munition and exploding. The video ends with the boat on fire.



After moving a large military force into the southern Caribbean in August, the United States has been conducting attacks and armed searches of ships traveling in the sea this month, in a declared mission to fight drug trafficking. Today’s strike is the third one this month and brings the total number of people killed to 17, per the White House’s numbers. It’s not immediately clear what branch of the military carried out the strike. In his post, Trump said that no American forces were harmed. The Department of Defense referred questions to the White House.



Hours before the strike, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war.”



An American airstrike hit a fast-moving Venezuelan boat on Sept. 2, killing 11. This past Monday on Sept. 15 another boat was hit, killing 3 on board. Video released showed the second boat not moving in the water. In all three strikes, the White House has accused the ships of being crewed by “narco-terrorists” linked to cartels. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated several cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” opening the door for military action under the United States’ counterterrorism laws. The government has accused one gang, Tren de Aragua, of being directly tied to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The U.S. said that the ship destroyed on Sept. 2 was crewed by Tren de Aragua members; the Venezuelan government denies that. 



Starting in August, the U.S. Navy began sending several ships into the Caribbean, including multiple destroyers, a guided-missile cruiser and a three-ship amphibious ready group, carrying the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. A fast-attack submarine was also dispatched. 10 F-35 fighter jets have been forward deployed to Puerto Rico, which is also serving as a base for MQ-9 Reaper drones.



After the first boat was hit, Venezuelan F-16s buzzed the USS Jason Dunham, a destroyer that was sent to the area. Soon after, personnel from that destroyer boarded and searched a Venezuelan fishing boat for drugs before releasing it after finding nothing.



Update: 9/20/2025; This article has been updated with additional information on the video shared by Trump and comments by Venezuelan officials.


 








Task & Purpose Video


Each week on Tuesdays and Fridays our team will bring you analysis of military tech, tactics, and doctrine.