The U.S. military claimed responsibility for a drone strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela. The White House says it was a Tren de Aragua (TDA) vessel carrying 11 cartel members and drugs. That means the drone wars on drug cartels have begun — whether South American leaders are on board or not. The Trump administration argues that TDA is controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. But a recently declassified U.S. intelligence memo contradicts that claim, saying it was unlikely Maduro’s government cooperates with or directs the group. In fact, Caracas views TDA as a threat to its own power. One U.S. official told Axios this strike could be a “precursor to Noriega Part 2.” That’s not reassuring. Noriega Part 1 was no success story: once a CIA asset, Manuel Noriega was toppled when he refused U.S. demands for military bases in the Panama Canal Zone. Washington launched the largest airborne assault on a city since World War II, leaving hundreds — perhaps thousands — of civilians dead. The destruction has never been fully accounted for. Would the U.S. do the same to remove Maduro? Is that where we’re heading? The post U.S. Drone Strike Off Venezuela Sparks Fears of ‘Noriega 2.0’ appeared first on Redacted.