Some survivors after US strikes another suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, sources say

By Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood, CNN

(CNN) — The US carried out a strike on a boat in the Caribbean on Thursday that did not kill everyone on board, two US officials told CNN.

There are believed to be survivors among the crew, but their status is unclear.

The US military has carried out at least six strikes to date on six separate boats in the Caribbean, but Thursday’s was not made public by the administration – unlike the previous five strikes – and appeared to be the first time an attack had not instantly killed everyone on board.

Reuters was first to report on Thursday’s strike.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense did not have an immediate comment. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

The Trump administration has produced a classified legal opinion that justifies lethal strikes against a secret and expansive list of cartels and suspected drug traffickers, CNN has reported.

The opinion is significant, legal experts previously told CNN, because it appears to justify giving the president power to designate drug traffickers as enemy combatants and have them summarily killed without legal review. Historically, those involved in drug trafficking were considered criminals with due process rights, with the Coast Guard interdicting drug-trafficking vessels and arresting smugglers.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had also authorized the CIA to operate inside Venezuela to clamp down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs from the South American nation, but stopped short of saying they would have authority to remove President Nicolas Maduro.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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