SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
A U.S. official has confirmed to NPR that a CIA drone strike hit a dock facility on the coast of Venezuela. The Venezuelan government has not responded to reports of the strike. This attack, first reported by CNN, marks an escalation of the Trump administration's pressure campaign on the Maduro government. So far, the military has focused efforts on international waters rather than on land, attacking boats that it says are carrying drugs. The Coast Guard is also tracking oil tankers carrying oil that's been sanctioned by the U.S. Here to discuss the latest developments is NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman. Hey, Tom.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hey, Scott.
DETROW: What do we know about this dock strike?
BOWMAN: Well, again, an official not authorized to speak publicly says this drone strike was carried out by the CIA, not the military, as we've seen so far with the attacks on some two dozen alleged drug boats, often using drones as well. And those military strikes are continuing. Another boat was hit just yesterday, killing two people on board. But, Scott, this is the first strike on land, clearly ramping up pressure on the Maduro regime. President Trump has already indicated the fight would move to land, so this could be just the first one.
DETROW: So the facts that we know at this point are kind of the bare minimum, right? But I'm really curious. What don't we know? What are the questions that you have about all of this?
BOWMAN: Well, the president said weeks ago the CIA was involved in covert efforts on the ground. Highly unusual for a president to announce a covert operation, which obviously makes it overt. The president would only acknowledge yesterday, though, that there was an attack on the dock facility without saying who did it. Let's listen.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. They load the boats up with drugs. So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area.
BOWMAN: Now, the administration hasn't offered any detail beyond what the president said. We - Scott, we also don't know what else the CIA is doing in Venezuela. If history is a guide, in past decades, when the CIA gets involved in an effort to pressure or oust a political leader, the agency would reach out to military leaders, maybe retired leaders, to see if they would either work with a new government, maybe remain cohesive, even mount a coup. So that will be something to watch in the coming weeks. And interestingly, Scott, Trump said he spoke with Maduro, quote, "very recently," but he said not much came of it.
DETROW: So this strike on land is a big escalation, but a lot of the action has been at sea. What is the latest on what the U.S. has been doing there?
BOWMAN: Well, again, there was a U.S. military strike just yesterday on another alleged drug boat that this time was in the eastern Pacific, not the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the Coast Guard continues to pursue an oil tanker that refused to be boarded in the Caribbean and just kept sailing. I'm told the Coast Guard is still working to get special capabilities to try to board the ship. And what's funny is I was talking with a retired admiral several weeks ago who predicted an oil tanker crew might just keep going, kind of batten down the hatches, because it would be unlikely for the U.S. to destroy the tanker and create an environmental disaster. Now, the U.S. has already seized two tankers it says were carrying illicit oil, and that may have had a chilling effect on other tankers. I'm told some tankers have decided not to head into Venezuelan ports to load up. If that's the case, this, of course, could put more economic pressure on the Maduro government.
DETROW: That is NPR's Tom Bowman. Thanks so much.
BOWMAN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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