"On Monday, the Trump administration officially designated a Venezuelan group known as the Cartel de los Soles (the Cartel of the Suns) a terrorist organization despite widespread doubts over its actual existence. The move was the latest chapter in a four-month US pressure campaign, officially designed to combat South American drug traffickers but which many suspect is a pretext to overthrow Maduro who Trump tried, but failed, to topple during his first term."
"Venezuela's government hit back, calling the designation a despicable lie designed to justify an illegitimate and illegal intervention against Venezuela in the classic US regime-change format. It said the supposed cartel was nonexistent and called the US accusations slander. After the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, arrived in the Caribbean in mid-November, speculation intensified that US military chiefs were preparing to launch some kind of operation against land targets within Venezuela."
The US designated a Venezuelan group known as the Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization, intensifying pressure on Nicolas Maduro's regime. The designation followed a four-month campaign including naval deployments off Venezuela's northern coast and deadly airstrikes on alleged narco-boats. US officials accuse Maduro of leading the purported cartel, while Caracas denies the cartel's existence and calls the claims slander and a pretext for illegitimate regime-change intervention. The arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford heightened speculation of possible operations against land targets. Leftwing European politicians warned that US action could precipitate widespread violence and military intervention in Venezuela.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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