Washington, 19 October (H.S.): President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that a recent U.S. military strike destroyed what he termed a drug-carrying submarine in the Caribbean Sea and that the two survivors will be repatriated to their home countries of Ecuador and Colombia.

In a post on his social media platform, Trump stated it was his great honor to destroy the vessel, which he claimed U.S. intelligence confirmed was loaded with fentanyl and other narcotics. He referred to the two survivors as terrorists who would be returned to their countries for detention and prosecution.

The strike, which occurred on Thursday, also resulted in the deaths of two other individuals on board.The two survivors were rescued by a U.S. military helicopter and taken aboard a Navy warship.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed on Saturday that his country had received the detained Colombian national.This incident marks at least the sixth U.S. strike on vessels in the Caribbean in recent weeks and the first in which survivors have been reported.

The Trump administration has justified the attacks as necessary to combat the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, asserting that it is in an armed conflict with drug cartels and treating the individuals as unarmed combatants.

The series of strikes, which have resulted in at least 29 deaths, have drawn sharp criticism. UN-appointed human rights experts have labeled the attacks extrajudicial executions, and legal analysts have questioned their legality under both U.S. and international law.

The Trump administration has not provided specific evidence linking the targeted vessels or individuals to drug trafficking. The recent operations, including Trump's confirmation that he authorized covert CIA activities in Venezuela, have escalated tensions with the government of President Nicolás Maduro, who accuses the U.S. of attempting to make his country an American colony.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar