WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has declared that the United States is engaged in armed conflict with drug cartels.
The Trump administration sent this declaration to Congress in a notice obtained by AFP on Thursday.
This letter serves as legal justification for at least three recent strikes in international waters that killed at least 14 people.
The administration has deployed several military vessels to the Caribbean Sea to counter drug smugglers.
This military build-up occurs amid mounting tensions with Venezuela’s leftist President Nicolas Maduro.
The Pentagon notice stated the president determined these cartels are non-state armed groups.
It also confirmed he designated them as terrorist organizations whose actions constitute an armed attack against the United States.
The notice further describes suspected smugglers as unlawful combatants.
Recent US strikes targeted boats allegedly loaded with drugs off the coast of Venezuela.
Legal experts have raised doubts about the legality of Washington’s actions in international waters.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended the president’s actions as being in line with the law of armed conflict.
She stated he is protecting the country from those trying to bring deadly poison to American shores.
Kelly emphasized Trump is delivering on his promise to take on cartels and eliminate these national security threats.
A White House official said the note was sent to Congress after one strike on September 15.
The official noted this reporting is legally mandated after any attack involving the US military.
This communication does not convey any new information according to the administration official.
Tensions have mounted over both the strikes and the US naval build-up in the region.
Venezuela announced Thursday it had detected five US fighter jets flying close to its shores.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino denounced these alleged flights as a provocation and threat to national security.
Trump last month dispatched 10 F-35 aircraft to Puerto Rico as part of the biggest military deployment in the area in over three decades.
He also sent eight warships and a nuclear submarine to the region to combat drug trafficking across the Caribbean.
After two Venezuelan military planes buzzed an American naval vessel last month, Trump warned Caracas its jets would be shot down if the incident repeated.
Maduro has accused Trump of a covert bid to bring about regime change in Venezuela. – AFP