WASHINGTON (AP) – The US continues to bolster its troops near Venezuela into combat Threats from Latin American drug cartels – Even later US strike President Donald Trump has destroyed what he said was a drug carrier run by the Tren de Aragua Gang.
The US government has not informed of planned land invasions from thousands of staff deployed, and analysts and current and former government officials believe there is no possibility of an invasion of Venezuela.
Still, Trump has killed 11 people over the past week on a boat departing from Venezuela, a rare example of American military action, saying, “Venezuela is a very bad actor.”
Tensions also dominate the conversation on the streets and at dinner tables in Venezuela. Suspicion of threat of invasion It’s spilling from social media and state television. The government is taking advantage of speculation, primarily by appealing to people to enlist in the tormented militia, on its declining foundation. Opposition parties once again characterize our actions as a sign President Nicolas Maduro Rules that approach the end.
The US is also deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico for operation targeted at drug cartels, a person familiar with the plans said on Saturday. No information about the development was made public, so people only spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In addition to that Two Nagis Guided Missile Destroyers – USS and Jason Dunham of USS – The US Navy is already in the Caribbean, and destroyer USS Sampson and Pacific cruiser USS Lake Ellie, off the coast of Latin America, spoke on condition of anonymity to explain the anonymity deployment operation.
Officials said three amphibious assault ships (a unit containing more than 4,000 sailors and Marines) were also in the Caribbean waters, but refused to say exactly where USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale were heading.
Here’s what you need to know about the situation:
What is the purpose of the US expansion?
Advan Daryl Cordle, head of naval operationsHe recently told reporters that the US ship is heading towards waters off the coast of South America to support “Venezuelan operations and missions” including drug cartels.
On August 28, at a naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, Caudle cited concerns that some Venezuelans were taking part in a massive drug business. However, he refused to provide details about the military’s targets, saying that much information was classified.
Caudle said his job is to provide a naval force for military commanders to deploy, providing “the choice for the president and the Secretary of Defense.”
The deployed deployment is increasingly endorsed as Trump uses the military to block the cartels and condemns fentanyl and other illegal drugs to perpetuate the flow to American communities and violence in some U.S. cities.
Trump has designated Venezuela’s Tren de AraguaEl Salvador’s MS-13 and six Mexico-based groups point to the international ties and operations of the group, including drug trafficking, immigration smuggling and violent pushes, as foreign terrorist organizations.
Christopher Sabatini, a researcher at Chatham House in London, has announced his deployment, designation of Tren de Aragua, and Maduro’s recent double in prize money It is part of the White House’s strategy of making “as much noise as possible” to satisfy Venezuela’s opposition, part of which is Trump supporters and “manipulate” high-level government officials into exile.
But he said, “There is no realism here regarding the possibility of actual invasion.”
How did the government in Maduro react?
When a state television host recently asked Maduro to “songs of these siren about the government’s Marine fleet,” the president said more than 90% of Venezuelans would reject “announcements and threats from the US government.”
“We, the Venezuelans, are within our own laws and no one touches this land,” Maduro added.
Maduro also refused to accused drug trafficking from the United States, claiming that unlike neighbouring Colombia, Venezuela “has no coca leaf crops and no cocaine production.” He also suggested that the drug crime was a White House charge.
“They are no longer denounced anyone who wants to change the story and destroy being a communist,” Maduro said. “It was an accusation they made during the Soviet Union,” he added: “They no longer accuse them of being terrorists… (AS) when they accuse Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya of being terrorists.
Samuel Moncada, UN ambassador to Venezuela, also called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to cease “all hostile actions and threats” and to respect his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Why is Venezuela asking for signing up for volunteer militias?
With US actions, Maduro urged Venezuelans to invite volunteer militias to join in support of the military in the event of an attack. Members are hosting sign-up drives. This characterized Maduro as successful without providing a number of new recruits.
The government also held enlistment events.
The ruling party has long claimed that militia membership would exceed 4.5 million, but that certainly has plummeted in support for the government, with millions of people, including Maduro supporters, migrated in search of better living conditions.
This diagram is in stark contrast to the results. Last year’s presidential electionthe ruling party’s loyal election authorities said Maduro won. Reliable evidence of the opposite. Election officials claimed that Maduro had won 6.4 million votes, and a detailed tally sheet released from the opposition showed he lost by 3.4 million votes.
What is Venezuela’s political opposition saying?
opposition leader Maria Colina Machado, whose Surrogate’s Edmundo Gonzalez has been recognized by the US and several other governments as a legal winner in the 2024 election, has appeared on the Fox News channel to thank Trump administration officials for “courage and clarity” for criminal enterprises that have adopted Venezuela.
“It’s time for change,” Machado said.
She also posted to X that Venezuelans “do not rely on” the government for not showing up in their militia recruitment efforts last weekend.
“The sky squares in Venezuela today tell us the approaching future,” she wrote.
But that promise is nothing new to the Venezuelans.
Chatham House’s Sabatini criticized opposition leaders for “sarcasmically manipulating people’s hopes” and “falling into this trap of invasion imminent.”
“They were just parked neutral,” Sabatini said. “This is a new opportunity they are trying to seize.”
___
Garcia Cano reported from Mexico City. Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, Edith M. Lederer of the United Nations and Will Weissart of Washington contributed to the report.
