Trump does not rule out use of ground forces in Venezuela

(Patria) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not rule out a potential ground operation in Venezuela, TASS reported.

"I don't rule out anything, we just have to take care of Venezuela," he told reporters when asked if he was ready to rule out anything, including the use of ground forces, at this time.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly said that his country faces the most serious threat in the last hundred years from U.S. aggression.

Washington has accused Caracas of not doing enough to combat drug smuggling. Under that pretext, the United States has deployed large forces in the Caribbean. Reportedly, eight U.S. warships, one submarine, and more than 16,000 troops have been deployed by the U.S. in the Caribbean.

Since September, the U.S. has destroyed at least twenty ships and eliminated 76 individuals allegedly involved in drug trafficking from Venezuela. The Pentagon announced on November 16 that a strike group of warships, led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, entered the Caribbean Sea.

According to The New York Times, U.S. President Donald Trump has authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela. According to U.S. media, Washington could soon begin attacks on drug cartels in Venezuela.

Updated plans for potential operations against Venezuela were presented to Trump on November 11. After studying those plans, the U.S. leader told reporters that he had formed an opinion on what needs to be done against Caracas, TASS reports.