US Army: Aircraft carrier in the Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela

(Patria) - The US Army announced on Sunday that an aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Caribbean, significantly expanding the presence of US forces near Venezuela, AFP reported last night.

US President Donald Trump ordered a troop buildup in the Caribbean as part of an initiative against drug trafficking, but numerous speculations have emerged that Washington may be considering military intervention against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.

The Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees US forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, had previously announced that the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group had entered its area of responsibility.

On Sunday, a statement announced that the strike group had entered the Caribbean Sea, stating that the move followed Trump's "directive to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and combat narcoterrorism in defense of the homeland".

The strike group includes the most advanced US aircraft carrier, two guided-missile destroyers, and other escort ships and aircraft.

It joins several warships already in the Caribbean, and the deployment has been dubbed "Operation Southern Spear".

Since launching a military campaign against human trafficking in September, US forces have killed at least eighty people accused of transporting drugs in international waters, according to AFP.

The United States has not released any details to support its claims that the people targeted, both in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific, in twenty attacks were actually human traffickers.

Experts say the deaths amount to extrajudicial killings even if the targets are known traffickers.

Meanwhile, Caracas considers the military buildup an explicit threat.
The United States does not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president of Venezuela and has offered a fifty million dollar reward for his arrest to face charges of leading a narco-cartel.

Amid reports that Trump held meetings with military advisors on potential options for Venezuela, the US president told reporters on Friday that he had "sort of" made a decision on the matter.

"I can't tell you what it is, but we've made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping the drug flow," he said on Air Force One.

Earlier, he told CBS News that he doubted the United States would go to war with Venezuela, but that he believed Maduro's days were numbered.

The US military is also increasing its presence in Trinidad and Tobago, an archipelago just off the coast of Venezuela.

US and Trinidadian forces were scheduled to begin joint exercises on Sunday for the second time in less than a month. On Saturday, Maduro called these exercises "irresponsible".