Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Military
United States
said their aircraft carrier had now arrived in the Caribbean Sea, near the waters
Venezuela
, on Sunday (16/11) to strengthen anti-drug operations.
US President Donald Trump ordered additional troops for anti-drug efforts in the Caribbean.However, there are suggestions that the US may be considering military intervention against Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
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US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the commander of US forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, said the USS Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Force had entered its area of responsibility.
He said the troops entered the Caribbean Sea and were in line with directives to protect the homeland.
“Directions to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and overcome narcotics terrorism for the sake of homeland defense,” said the SOUTHCOM statement, as quoted
AFP
.
The force consists of an advanced US aircraft carrier, two guided-missile destroyers, and other supporting ships and aircraft.
They joined a number of warships in the Caribbean in an operation called “Operation Southern Spear.”
Southcom said there was a new attack that occurred on Saturday (15/11) in the eastern Pacific, killing three suspects.
Since starting anti-drug operations in September, US forces have killed 83 people suspected of carrying drugs in international waters.
The US has not provided evidence of people being attacked in the Caribbean or in the eastern Pacific.However, as many as 20 operations involved drug smuggling.
Experts assess the incident as an act of extrajudicial killing, even though the target was smugglers.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s capital Caracas sees the military deployment as a direct threat.
The US does not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader and will put a $50 million (around IDR 838 billion) reward for capturing the drug leader.
Trump also held meetings with military advisers about options for Venezuela.
“I can’t tell you what it is, but we are making a lot of progress with Venezuela in stopping the influx of drugs,” he said on Air Force One.
Trump once said to
CBS News
, he doubts that the US will join a war with Venezuela, but he is confident that Maduro’s reign will end.
The US military is also deployed in Trinidad and Tobago, an archipelago located near the coast of Venezuela.
The US and Trinidad troops will begin training on Sunday (16/11) for the second time in less than a month.But Maduro criticized the exercise as “irresponsible.”
(rnp/bac)
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