Trump says land strikes in Venezuela will 'start very soon' [View all]

Source: USA Today

Amid a buildup of U.S. military forces near Venezuela and strikes on alleged drug boats, President Donald Trump told U.S. troops on Thanksgiving that the military operation will soon include strikes on land.

“In recent weeks, you’ve been working to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers," Trump said during a call with military service members that alluded to the boat strikes, adding: "We’ll be starting to stop them by land also. The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon."

Since early September, the Trump administration has attacked at least 21 boats traversing the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific in international waters, killing 83 people − many of them Venezuelans. Administration officials have said, without providing evidence, that those boats were attempting to carry narcotics to the United States.

The military campaign that has drawn criticism from legal experts, who question the legality of using deadly military force rather than trying to apprehend suspected trafficking vessels and their cargo. This week Senate Democrats escalated their demands that the Trump administration publicly disclose the legal justification for conducting the attacks.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-says-land-strikes-venezuela-191521301.html