US builds up forces in Caribbean as officials, experts, ask why
Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle and Andrea Shallal
Washington (Reuters) -A great accumulation of US Navy in the South Caribbean and its surroundings asks officials and experts in the United States in Karakas: Movement, as Trump administration suggested, is it aimed to fight drug cartels, or is it completely something else?
The seven US warships are expected to be in the region or soon with a fast attack submarine with nuclear energy, and brings more than 4,500 sailors and sailors.
US President Donald Trump said it was a central target for the management of the fight against drug cartels, and that military efforts to US officials Reuters aim to address the threats of these cartels.
Stephen Miller, Deputy General Manager of White House, said that on Friday, military accumulation “drug trafficking organizations, penalties and these foreign terrorist organizations” aims to fight and dismantle “.
However, it is unclear how the US military presence will disrupt the drug trade.
In addition to other things, most of the sea -based drug trade goes to the United States via the Pacific, not the Atlantic, with US forces, and most of those coming through the Caribbean come to secret flights.
Venezuela officials believe that their governments can be a real target.
In early August, the United States doubled the award for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and reached $ 50 million according to connections with drug trafficking allegations and criminal groups.
Maduro, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and the country’s Ambassador to the United Nations Samuel Moncada, the United States violating international treaties and threatening the country with sea distributions, he said.
They also threw the claims that the US and leadership of the US were the key to major international drug trafficking.
“Venezuel people know who the United States is behind these military threats against our country,” Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino said, “The USA is behind these military threats against our country.” He said. “We are not a drug smugglers, we are noble and hardworking people.”
‘Gunboat diplomacy’
While the US Coast Guard and Navy ships operate regularly in the South Caribbean, the current accumulation exceeds the usual deployment in the region.
There are warships in the Navy, including USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale. Some can carry air assets like helicopters, while others can use Tomahawk Cruise missiles.
US officials said the US army has blown P-8 spy planes in the region to collect intelligence. They fly on international waters.
The Trump administration said that he could use the army to pursue drug cartels and criminal groups and directed Pentagon to prepare options.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio went to Doral on Friday to visit the center of the US military’s operations in the region.
Tulane University Venezuela expert David Smilde said that military movements were an effort to put pressure on the Maduro government.
“What they’re trying to do is maximum pressure on the regime to see what they can break, to create real military pressure.” He said.
“This armed diplomacy. Old -fashioned tactics,” he added.
While the Navy is in the Caribbean and Atlantic, the Pacific Ocean Cocaine is a larger way for maritime trade, the United Nations Drug and Crime Office, in the 2023 Cocaine report, said the US DEA, which shows that 74% of the cocaine flowing from South America to the north.
In the report, human traders use aircraft to send cocaine to the north through the Caribbean. Mexico is the main source of fentanyl to the United States, and drug cartels are smuggling at the border.
Intervention in Maduro?
Moncada said that the US accumulation was to justify an “intervention against a legitimate president”.
“They are there to ensure that drug trafficking is not happening at the moment,” a senior administrative authority asked if the White House decided to exclude the regime change. He said.
“The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela. Narco-Teror Cartel. Narko-Terör Cartel. Not a legitimate president. This drug cartel is a illegal chairman of this drug cartel.” He said.
Nevertheless, US officials say that although important, the forces in the region are too small to perform the type of continuous operation warned by Karakas.
In 1989, the United States used approximately 28,000 US soldiers to invade Panama and capture the dictator Manual Noriega.
With the Center for Strategic and International Research in Washington, Christopher Hernandez-Ry said that accumulation can be used for some strike in Venezuela, but there may only be a power show.
Hernandez-Roy said, “It is too big to be related to drugs. It is too small to be related to an invasion. But it is important enough to do something.” He said.
(Idrees Ali, Patricia Zengerle and Andrea Shallal reporting; Additional reports by Steve Holland; Don Durfee and Diane Craft)
