The US on Friday carried out another strike on suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said.
Four people were killed in the “lethal, kinetic strike” and no US forces were harmed, Mr Hegseth said in a post on X.
“Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people on-board were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route,” he wrote. “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over!!!!”
In an accompanying video, a fast boat can be seen traversing a body of water before an explosion engulfs the vessel in flames.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump had ordered the strike “with his responsibility to protect the United States interests abroad and in furtherance of the US national security and foreign policy interests”.
She added that the vessels US forces are striking “have been assessed by the US intelligence community to be affiliated with designated terrorist organisations engaged at the time and trafficking illicit drugs to our country”.
This is at least the fourth US strike on alleged drug traffickers operating off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean. Critics have accused the administration of carrying out extrajudicial killings and raised doubts that the boats were actually carrying smugglers.
Mr Trump earlier this year designated Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal group, as a terrorist organisation.
In August, the US said it would send more than 4,000 sailors and marines to patrol the seas off Latin America as part of Mr Trump's operation against drug cartels.
The latest strike came after the Trump administration sent a memo to Congress this week, in which the President said he had determined that the US is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels. The notification was probably aimed at providing legal cover for the recent strikes.
The notice sent by the Pentagon to Congress says the US “has now reached a critical point where we must use force in self-defence and defence of others against the continuing attacks” by drug-trafficking groups. It was first reported by The New York Times on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, Venezuela said several US fighter jets had breached its airspace.
Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino described the incident as a “provocation” and a threat to national security.
“They are combat aircraft – combat aircraft that US imperialism has dared to approach the Venezuelan coast [with],” Mr Padrino said in comments broadcast on state television.
Washington has accused Venezuela of sending drugs and criminals to the US in a bid to destabilise the country. The US has issued a $50 million bounty for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Concerns are rising in Latin America that US military action against alleged drug traffickers could eventually include strikes on land targets or even invasion, and Mr Maduro has accused Mr Trump of trying to initiate regime change.
A senior administration official told Semafor this week that the White House was not ruling out strikes on Venezuela.
“If Venezuela is sending drug cartels to the United States by land or sea, he’ll consider action on it,” the official said.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
