"Venezuela on Tuesday announced what it called a major nationwide military deployment in response to the presence of growing United States naval forces off its coast. On Thursday, the US also unveiled an operation, called Southern Spear, which it said was intended to target narco-terrorists in the Western Hemisphere. The escalation has raised alarm in Caracas, where officials worry the US may be using these operations as a pretext to force President Nicolas Maduro out of power."
"Tensions between Washington and Caracas have been spiralling for weeks, as the Trump administration has hit a series of boats in the Caribbean Sea and, more recently, the Pacific Ocean, claiming they were carrying individuals smuggling narcotics into the US. The 20th strike took place this week, US officials have said. In all, about 80 people have been killed."
Venezuela announced a nationwide military deployment in response to an expanding United States naval presence off its coast. The US launched Operation Southern Spear, described as targeting narco-terrorists across the Western Hemisphere, and dispatched the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group into regional waters. Caracas fears Washington might use these operations as a pretext to remove President Nicolas Maduro, prompting stern warnings from Venezuelan officials. The Trump administration has struck multiple boats in Caribbean and Pacific waters, claiming narcotics smuggling and reporting about 20 strikes and roughly 80 fatalities, without publicly providing evidence or legal justification.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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