Trump says land strikes will target 'anybody' involved in drug trade, regardless of location

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a new phase of attacks on alleged drug traffickers will strike sites on land and target "anybody" engaged in the illicit trade.

"We're going to start doing those strikes on land, you know, the land is much easier, much easier, and we know the routes they take, we know everything about them, we know where they live, we know where the bad ones live, and we're going to start that very soon too," Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

"Anybody that's doing that and selling it into our country is subject to attack," he added.

Asked by a reporter if that means targets would be limited to Venezuela, Trump said, "No, not just Venezuela," but added that the country that has been the focus of the president's repeated threats has been "very bad."

Trump has authorized attacks on targets that he and his senior officials have claimed are linked to "narcoterrorism," but known strikes have so far been limited to sea-based targets, including boats and submarines.

The US president has vowed to begin attacks on land-based targets as he significantly increases US military forces in Latin America amid a standoff with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Trump has demanded that Maduro relinquish power as he carries out strikes on ships that he says are ferrying drugs to the US amid speculation that he could soon order a military intervention in the Latin American nation.