Trump's war on drug traffickers. The US military has two survivors of a shipwreck in the Caribbean on board
August 16, 2025, Puerto Cabello, Carabobo State, Venezuela: August 17, 2025. Venezuela is keeping a warship on alert, Minister Diosdado Cabello announced, after the presence of US Navy ships was confirmed in the Caribbean Sea in the area of Puerto Cabello, Carabobo State. Photo: Juan Carlos Hernandez / Zuma Press / Profimedia
The US military carried out a new strike against a ship suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean on Thursday, and it is believed that, for the first time, there were survivors among the crew members, an American official told Reuters, according to News.ro.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details about the incident, which was not previously reported, saying only that it was unclear whether the attack was deliberately designed to leave survivors.
This raises new questions, including whether the US military provided aid to the survivors and whether they are now in US military custody, possibly as prisoners of war.
The Pentagon, which has labeled those targeted in the strikes as narco-terrorists, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before Thursday's operation, US military strikes against ships suspected of carrying drugs off Venezuela killed 27 people, alarming some experts and Democratic lawmakers, who question whether it is adhering to the laws of war.
Video footage released by the Trump administration of previous attacks shows the ships were completely destroyed and there were no reports of survivors.
The Trump administration says the US is already engaged in a war with narco-terrorist groups in Venezuela, which makes the attacks legitimate. Trump administration officials say the deadly raids are necessary because traditional attempts to capture crew members and seize cargo have so far failed to stem the flow of narcotics into the US.
The attacks come amid a US troop build-up in the Caribbean, including guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, a nuclear submarine and about 6,500 troops, after President Donald Trump clashed with the Venezuelan government.
On Wednesday, Trump revealed that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, fueling speculation in Caracas that the United States is trying to topple Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
In a letter to the United Nations Security Council seen by Reuters, Venezuela's U.N. ambassador Samuel Moncada called on the U.N. to rule that U.S. attacks off its coasts are illegal and issue a statement upholding Venezuela's sovereignty.
Less than a week ago, the Pentagon announced that its counter-narcotics operations in the region would not be led by the Miami-based Southern Command, which oversees the US military's activities in Latin America.
Instead, the Pentagon said a mission-specific military unit is being created to be led by the II Marine Expeditionary Force, a unit that can conduct rapid sea operations based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
The decision came as a surprise to those who follow US military activity, as a combatant command such as the Southern Command would normally lead any high-level operation.
Earlier on Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the admiral who heads US Southern Command will retire at the end of this year, in a surprise move, two years earlier than scheduled.
Senate Armed Services Committee Democrat Senator Jack Reed called the surprise resignation of Admiral Alvin Holsey disturbing, given growing fears of a potential confrontation between the US and Venezuela.
“Admiral Holsey's resignation only heightens my concern that this administration is ignoring the hard-learned lessons of the US military's past military campaigns and the advice of our most experienced warriors,” Reed said.
