The US Pentagon announced the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Caribbean to tackle South American drug cartels on Friday, sparking fears of a major military escalation.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted at least 10 vessels alleged to smuggle narcotics destined for the US since early September, as per AFP.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said that increased US military presence in the area will “bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the US homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere.”
US relations with Venezuela and Columbia have deteriorated rapidly in recent days. Also on Friday, Trump imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his family after Petro condemned US strikes on alleged drug vessels.
As for Venezuela, Trump confirmed earlier this month that he had authorized CIA activity within the country. He told CNN on Thursday that, although he will notify Congress in advance of strikes on Venezuelan soil, he will not “necessarily” ask them to approve a declaration of war before moving.
“I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. Okay? We’re going to kill them, you know, they’re going to be like, dead,” Trump said.
According to Reuters, the UN condemned Trump’s strikes on alleged drug vessels – which have claimed at least 40 lives – as “extrajudicial executions.”
Maduro, whose regime is backed by the Kremlin, responded to Trump’s latest remarks by boasting that Venezuela has thousands of Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions,” as per CNN.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S and Venezuela has no less than 5,000,” Maduro said.