The US military’s recent strikes on boats allegedly transporting drugs near the Venezuelan coast have raised questions about the legality of such actions and heightened fears of a military escalation in the region.In the latest attack on Friday, at least four people were killed, taking the death toll to 21 since the first boat was attacked on September 3 as part of the Trump administration’s “war on cartels”.US President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and determined that the United States is in “a non-international armed conflict” with them, the administration notified Congress on Thursday.But critics argue that the administration’s military actions potentially violate the US Constitution in addition to international laws, with rights observers and legal scholars saying the deadly attacks amount to “extrajudicial killing” and violation of human rights.Since taking office in January, Trump has designated several drug cartels, including the Tren de Aragua cartel based in Venezuela, as “global terrorist organisations”.In the past several weeks, the Trump administration has deployed warships in the Caribbean to target boats that it says are involved in “narco-trafficking”, ratcheting up military and political pressure against Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, who has condemned the “US aggression” against his country.So are Trump’s strikes legal, and will they lead to military confrontation with Venezuela? And what is the history of Venezuela …
