QUITO, Ecuador - The Trump administration will continue to identify and kill foreign drug smugglers without the consent of their home countries, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Thursday. But such actions may not be necessary if the smugglers come from friendly nations that cooperate with the United States, Rubio added. "For cooperative governments, there's no need because those governments are going to help us," the top U.S. diplomat said during a visit to Ecuador's capital. "They're going to help us find these people and blow them up, if that's what it takes."
In the days following its deadly attack on a vessel allegedly transporting Venezuelan drug smugglers through international waters, the administration of US President Donald Trump sent a unified message: The United States will not hesitate to strike so-called narco terrorists. Instead of interdicting [the vessel], on the president's orders, we blew it up, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. list of 3 itemsend of list And it'll happen again. Maybe it's happening right now, he said.