Caracas [Venezuela], August 30: AP reported on August 29 that the US is increasing its naval forces in waters off Venezuela to counter the threat from Latin American drug trafficking gangs.
Three amphibious ships, with a total of more than 4,000 sailors and Marines, will enter the southern Caribbean next week, a US defense official said, following confirmation last week that three US destroyers had been deployed to the region. In addition, Reuters quoted a US official as saying that seven US warships , along with a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, have arrived or are expected to arrive in the region next week. The US official added that the US military has also sent a P-8 reconnaissance aircraft to the region to gather intelligence.
The Pentagon has not yet announced the exact mission of the US ships, while the White House announced on August 28 that US President Donald Trump is ready to use all resources to prevent drugs from flooding into the country. Earlier in February, the Trump administration listed Mexico's Sinaloa cartel and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua criminal group as terrorist organizations. Washington has also accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles cocaine trafficking gang, which the Trump administration has also listed as a terrorist organization, according to AFP. Washington recently doubled the reward to $50 million for Maduro's capture to face drug-related charges.
Christopher Sabatini, a researcher at Chatham House in the UK, said the deployment of warships, the designation of the Tren de Aragua gang as a terrorist organization and the doubling of the reward for Maduro's capture were part of a White House strategy to "make as much noise as possible" to please the Venezuelan opposition, many of whom support Trump, and to "entice" senior Venezuelan government officials to defect. However, Sabatini said it was unlikely that US troops would enter Venezuela, according to AP.
Meanwhile, President Maduro declared on August 28 that US troops could not enter Venezuela, and pledged that his country was well prepared to protect "peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity," according to AFP. Venezuela has responded to the US military campaign by sending warships and drones to patrol its coast and launching a campaign to recruit thousands of militia members to strengthen its defenses.
President Maduro and other Venezuelan officials have publicly condemned the US military operation, calling it an "immoral and illegal" attempt at regime change, according to Bloomberg. Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN Samuel Moncada on August 28 asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call on Washington to end "all hostile actions and threats" and respect Venezuela's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
