‘You’re Supposed To Intercept It, Not Just Blow It Up’: Mother Fears Son Killed in US Airstrike on Venezuelan Boat

Police in the country of Trinidad and Tobago are looking into whether two of their own citizens were among the people killed in a military air attack by the United States. The attack was on a boat that was supposedly moving drugs from Venezuela. This military strike happened in international waters and, according to statements from President Donald Trump, it killed six people. President Trump called the dead people “narcoterrorists.” The official authorities in Trinidad and Tobago have not yet verified who the victims were, as reported by The Guardian.

People living in the village of Las Cuevas said that two men from Trinidad were on the boat when it was attacked. Lenore Burnley, who is the mother of a twenty-six-year-old man named Chad Joseph, said that she received information from her contacts in Venezuela telling her that her son was on the boat. Burnley told the news agency AFP, “According to maritime law, if you see a boat, you are supposed to stop the boat and intercept it, not just blow it up. That’s our Trinidadian maritime law and I think every fisherman and every human knows that,”

There was another possible victim from Trinidad who was from Las Cuevas, a man known locally by the name Samaroo. The government has still not officially confirmed the identities of those who died.

Heightened Regional Tensions And Maritime Concerns

This military strike is happening at a time when the United States is running an ongoing operation aimed at stopping drug trafficking that takes place near the coast of Venezuela. The Trump administration has said these actions are needed to protect the United States from drugs being smuggled in. So far, at least twenty-seven people have been reported killed in similar attacks that have happened in the Caribbean area. Trump, who has previously been discussed as a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, has faced criticism for his approach to international interventions.

The recent air strike has caused worry among the local fishermen in Trinidad and Tobago, who are now afraid they might be hurt or killed by mistake. Many fishermen who operate small boats work near Venezuelan waters, often only a few miles away from where the United States has been carrying out its military operations.

Burnley said that her son had been staying with family in Venezuela for three months and was getting ready to come back home to Trinidad and Tobago when the attack happened, which was about six point eight miles from the shore.

As a reaction to the United States military activity, the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, ordered large-scale military training exercises on Wednesday. He also activated the country’s military forces, police, and civilian militia to make the defenses along the coast stronger.