The U.S. military carried out a strike against an alleged Venezuelan drug cartel boat Thursday in international waters in the Caribbean, and for the first time there were survivors, according to a U.S. official.
The strike is at least the fifth the Trump administration has carried out against boats in international waters believed to be connected to Venezuelan drug cartels. At least 21 people were killed in four previous strikes, with no survivors.
NBC News has reported that U.S. lawmakers have grown concerned about the lack of information the White House is provided about the operations.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump made an extraordinary admission, confirming he had authorized the CIA to take unspecified action in Venezuela.
“Why did you authorize the CIA to go into Venezuela?” a reporter asked Trump at the White House.
“I authorized for two reasons, really,” he replied. “No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.
“And the other thing are drugs,” he added. “We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela.”
Dan De Luce and Gordon Lubold contributed.