The possibility of ordering his military to launch strikes on “land“ against drug cartels in Venezuela was something US President Donald Trump said he was “considering” on Wednesday (15/10), following a series of operations that targeted speedboats which Washington claims were transporting traffickers in the Caribbean, off the coasts of the Latin American state. In response, Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro reacted by speaking of coups orchestrated by the CIA.
Trump: “Considering” ground strikes against drug cartels in Venezuela
“I don’t want to say more, but we are looking at land right now, because we control the sea very well“, he responded in the Oval Office of the White House, to a journalist’s question about potential ground strikes. However, he avoided confirming New York Times reports that he had given secret approval to the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela against President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
When asked if he had ordered the American intelligence agency to “neutralize” Venezuela’s leader, he said:“That’s a ridiculous question you’re asking me. No, really a ridiculous question, but wouldn’t it be ridiculous of me to answer?“.
Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that six alleged drug traffickers were killed in a new American missile strike against a vessel off Venezuela; this was the fifth known such strike since early September, against the backdrop of rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas.
At least 27 people have been killed in these strikes, based on announcements from the American government. However, the legality of these strikes, in foreign or international waters, without suspects being arrested or interrogated, is questionable and provokes criticism.
Why he accuses Maduro
Washington accuses Venezuela’s President Maduro and his government of running a drug trafficking network to the American market and has deployed since early September a fleet of eight warships and a nuclear submarine off Venezuela’s coasts, officially as part of an anti-drug trafficking operation.
Caracas denies the American accusations and, reacting to the deployment of US armed forces, which it sees as a “military threat“, is conducting exercises of its own armed forces and has mobilized reserves. For President Maduro, Washington is using drug trafficking as a pretext to impose “regime change” in his country, to get control of his country’s massive oil reserves, which are among the largest on the planet.
Maduro: No to CIA-instigated coups”
For his part, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro rose up against “CIA-instigated coups” on Wednesday, in a speech against the backdrop of US warship deployment in the Caribbean, which is officially presented as an anti-drug trafficking operation.
“No to war in the Caribbean (…) No to regime change, which reminds us of the endless failed wars in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq (…) No to CIA-instigated coups“, said Mr. Maduro, hours after US President Trump declared he was “considering” launching ground strikes on the territory of the Latin American country.
