US strikes boat near Mexico

WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed Wednesday the United States would ramp up strikes on cartels after blowing up an alleged drug boat he linked to Venezuela, but he assured Mexico of respect to its sovereignty.

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In the highest-level meeting between the two neighbors since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Mr Rubio met for an hour and a half in Mexico City with President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has calmly sought cooperation in the complicated relationship with Washington.

The visit came a day after Mr Trump said US forces blew up an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean that he said belonged to a criminal organisation tied to Venezuela's leftist President Nicolas Maduro, a nemesis of the United States.

Later Wednesday, Venezuela's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accused the United States of committing extrajudicial killings in the attack, saying “they murdered 11 people without due process”

The attack, whose details could not be independently verified by AFP, marks a dramatic escalation by the United States, which has for decades relied on routine policing operations rather than deadly force to seize drugs.

Mr Rubio said that the policy had failed as piecemeal seizures did not affect the bottom line of cartels.

The United States “blew it up and it'll happen again. Maybe it’s happening right now,’ Mr Rubio told a news conference.

“These are not stockbrokers. These are not real estate agents who on the side deal a few drugs.”