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Trump Says to Start Land Raids in Venezuela “Pretty Soon”
(MENAFN) The United States may launch ground operations against suspected drug trafficking networks "pretty soon," President Donald Trump announced Friday, while asserting that maritime narcotics interdiction has achieved unprecedented success. Venezuela has categorically rejected any connection to drug cartels.
During a White House briefing Friday, Trump declared that maritime drug trafficking allegedly linked to Venezuela had plummeted by 92%, stating American forces were "knocking out drugs at levels that nobody's ever seen before." He elaborated: "We knocked out 96% of the drugs coming in by water," before adding, "It's going to be starting on land pretty soon."
The president offered no specifics regarding potential strike locations or operational parameters.
American military assets in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have undergone massive expansion since September, executing over 20 attacks on vessels suspected of drug smuggling that resulted in dozens of fatalities. Trump has maintained these actions have prevented tens of thousands of American deaths by blocking narcotics shipments.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has persistently dismissed Trump's allegations linking Caracas to narcotics organizations, charging that Washington aims to destabilize his administration through a fabricated counter-narcotics pretext.
Earlier this week, U.S. officials also commandeered the oil tanker Skipper near Venezuelan waters—a vessel purportedly carrying petroleum from Venezuela and Iran. Caracas authorities denounced the action as "blatant theft" and "criminal naval piracy."
Russia, maintaining decades-old strategic relationships with Venezuela, publicly endorsed Maduro this week. The Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin "expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government's resolve to defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure." Both leaders reinforced their dedication to a strategic partnership agreement finalized in May.
During a White House briefing Friday, Trump declared that maritime drug trafficking allegedly linked to Venezuela had plummeted by 92%, stating American forces were "knocking out drugs at levels that nobody's ever seen before." He elaborated: "We knocked out 96% of the drugs coming in by water," before adding, "It's going to be starting on land pretty soon."
The president offered no specifics regarding potential strike locations or operational parameters.
American military assets in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have undergone massive expansion since September, executing over 20 attacks on vessels suspected of drug smuggling that resulted in dozens of fatalities. Trump has maintained these actions have prevented tens of thousands of American deaths by blocking narcotics shipments.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has persistently dismissed Trump's allegations linking Caracas to narcotics organizations, charging that Washington aims to destabilize his administration through a fabricated counter-narcotics pretext.
Earlier this week, U.S. officials also commandeered the oil tanker Skipper near Venezuelan waters—a vessel purportedly carrying petroleum from Venezuela and Iran. Caracas authorities denounced the action as "blatant theft" and "criminal naval piracy."
Russia, maintaining decades-old strategic relationships with Venezuela, publicly endorsed Maduro this week. The Kremlin reported that President Vladimir Putin "expressed solidarity with the people of Venezuela and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government's resolve to defend national interests and sovereignty against foreign pressure." Both leaders reinforced their dedication to a strategic partnership agreement finalized in May.
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