“You've probably noticed that people don't want to ship by sea, and we're going to stop them from shipping by land,” Trump said.
The Trump administration is considering options in Venezuela to combat what it says is Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's role in the supply of illegal drugs. Maduro denies any involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Until now, American forces in the region have been focused on counter-drug operations, although the firepower assembled far exceeds what is needed to do so. Since September, US troops have carried out at least 21 strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing at least 83 people.
Reports of impending action have increased in recent weeks as the US military deployed troops to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela.
Context
In August, the White House announced its readiness to “use all elements of power” to stop the “flow of drugs into the country,” in particular, to concentrate ships and manpower on Venezuelan territory.
Since September, the US has carried out more than 20 strikes on ships that were likely transporting drugs from Latin America to the United States, reported November 13 CBS News. At least 80 people died.
On November 11, the US Navy announced that its aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford had arrived in the Caribbean. CNN reported that there are about 15 thousand American troops in the Caribbean region. Media reported that on November 12, Trump was presented with plans for possible military operations against Venezuela in the coming days.
Two days later, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the beginning of a military operation The USA “Southern Spear”, aimed against narco-terrorists, but did not specify which country we were talking about.
