WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump said that United States (US) forces had attacked a boat carrying drugs to the country Tuesday, killing 11 “narcoterrorists” from a gang he alleged was controlled by leftist Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Trump posted a video online of an open-topped speedboat carrying a number of people travelling on a body of water before it exploded in a ball of flames.

The move is a potentially significant escalation in the standoff between Caracas and Washington, after the United States deployed warships to the southern Caribbean in what it bills as a war on drug trafficking.

Trump initially announced at the White House that US forces had “shot out a boat… a drug-carrying boat, lots of drugs in that boat” without giving details.

The Republican later posted a statement about the strike on his Truth Social network, along with the black and white video of the exploding boat.

“Earlier this morning, on my Orders, US Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists,” Trump said.

“The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action.”

No US forces were harmed, Trump added.

He went on to allege that Tren de Aragua — a Venezuelan group he has frequently referred to as part of his crackdown on undocumented migration — was “operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro.”

The United States designated the gang a terrorist organisation earlier this year.

“Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE!” Trump added in his post.