WASHINGTON (AP) — Two survivors of a U.S. military attack on a suspected drug-transporting ship in the Caribbean will be sent to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia, President Donald Trump announced Saturday.
The military on Thursday rescued two people after it hit a submarine, at least the sixth such attack since early September.
“It was a great honor to sink a very large narcotics submarine that was traveling toward the United States on a well-known drug trafficking route,” President Trump said in a social media post. “U.S. intelligence confirmed that the ship was primarily loaded with fentanyl and other illegal drugs.”
After President Trump’s announcement, the Pentagon posted a short black-and-white video of the attack on X. In this clip, the ship is seen moving through the waves, its front submerged several inches below the water’s surface. Several explosions were then seen, at least one occurring in the rear of the ship.
The Republican president said two people on board had died, one more than previously reported, and that the two survivors would be sent to their home countries “for detention and prosecution.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed on X news agency Saturday that a Colombian man detained in what he called a “narco-submarine” was returning home.
“I’m glad he’s alive. He will be prosecuted according to the law,” Petro said in a short post.
Ecuador’s government press office said on Saturday that it was not aware of any repatriation plans at this time.
At least 29 people have been killed in U.S. military operations against ships in the region, as President Trump announced the death toll on the Truth Social platform.
The president justified the attack by claiming the United States was engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels. He is relying on the same legal authority that the George W. President Trump also treats suspected traffickers as if they were enemies in a traditional war.
The extradition avoids questions from the Trump administration about what their legal status will be in the U.S. justice system. It also could avoid some of the legal issues arising from the capture of enemy combatants in the global war on terror and challenges to the constitutionality of current operations.
For some legal scholars, President Trump’s use of such military force against drug cartel suspects, perhaps along with authorizing covert action inside Venezuela to oust President Nicolas Maduro, stretches the boundaries of international law.
On Friday, President Trump appeared to confirm reports that Maduro has been offering interests in Venezuela’s oil and other mineral resources in recent months to fend off increasing pressure from the United States. Venezuelan government officials have also floated plans for Maduro to eventually step down, according to a former Trump administration official. That plan was also rejected by the White House, the Associated Press reported.
The attacks in the Caribbean have caused anxiety among lawmakers of both parties and frustration over a lack of information about how the attacks are being carried out. But most Republican senators backed the administration last week on a bill that would require the Trump campaign to get approval from Congress before launching any additional attacks.
Meanwhile, another resolution to be considered would prevent President Trump from launching a full-scale attack on Venezuela without Congressional authorization.
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Megerian reported from West Palm Beach, Florida.
