Has the clock started counting down for Venezuela? US aircraft can use Trinidad and Tobago airports

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago announced on Monday that it had consented to the transit of American military aircraft using the airports of this Caribbean country in the coming weeks. The announcement was published in the context of growing tensions in the region.

“The United States informed that these movements are of a logistical nature and are intended to facilitate the replenishment of supplies and routine staff rotation,” the ministry's statement reads.

The AP agency noted that the US armed forces recently installed a radar system at the airport in Trinidad and Tobago. The government of this Caribbean country said that the radar was used to fight local crime. He also assured that the country would not be used as a base to attack any other country.

Trinidad and Tobago is located next to Venezuela, which has been facing increasing pressure from the US in recent weeks. The shortest distance separating the islands from the Venezuelan coast is 11 km.

The Americans accuse Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro of running a drug cartel and for several weeks have been attacking boats which – according to the services – transport drugs to the USA. Last week, American forces seized a sanctioned tanker off the coast of Venezuela and announced the confiscation of oil worth approximately $80 million. The Americans also gathered significant military forces in the region. (PAP)

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