Venezuelan Armed Forces Begin Drills in Caribbean: Defense Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Venezuela’s armed forces have begun the Sovereign Caribbean 200 military maneuver near the island of La Orchila in Venezuela’s territorial waters.
"At the instruction of Venezuela’s constitutional President Nicolas Maduro, I order to begin the Sovereign Caribbean exercise, which will strengthen our defense capacity," Venezolana de Television quoted Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez as saying, TASS reported.
According to the minister, the three-day drills will involve all types of the Venezuelan armed forces: aerospace, special, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, naval, airborne, ground, and aerospace defense forces.
The drills are conducted amid the deployment of US naval forces in the Caribbean, when, according to President Maduro, Venezuela is faced with the biggest threat of a US aggression it has seen in the past 100 years.
Reuters reported on August 19, citing Pentagon sources, that three US missile destroyers (USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson) had been deployed near Venezuela as part of an effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels. Other reports mentioned the deployment of the USS Newport News submarine, the USS Lake Erie missile cruiser, landing ships and 4,500 troops.
According to the New York Times, US President Donald Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels.
Washington claims that Venezuela is not doing enough to combat drug trafficking. Moreover, is accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of being part of the Cartel de los Soles (or the Cartel of the Suns), whose existence Caracas denies.
