Venezuela Deploys 17,000 Troops Near Colombian Border After D£adly U.S. Str!kes
Venezuela Deploys 17,000 Troops Near Colombian Border After Deadly U.S. Strikes
The deployment followed multiple US naval operations in recent weeks targeting boats Washington claims were involved in narcotics trafficking.
Venezuela has deployed thousands of troops near its border with Colombia amid escalating tensions with the United States following reports of another deadly US naval strike on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean Sea.
According to AFP, the large-scale military exercise ordered by President Nicolás Maduro comes as fears mount in Caracas that Washington’s military operations in the region could be a prelude to a regime change attempt.
General Michell Valladares, commander of Venezuela’s western Tachira state, confirmed that about 17,000 troops were deployed as part of the nationwide drills. The exercises reportedly involve air, land, and sea forces, with military convoys seen moving near border crossings connecting Venezuela to Colombia.
The deployment followed multiple US naval operations in recent weeks targeting boats Washington claims were involved in narcotics trafficking.
However, reports from American media outlets, including CBS, CNN, and NBC, said at least 27 people have been killed in the strikes, sparking international outrage and questions about the legality of the operations.
The Pentagon has so far refused to release details about the number of casualties or survivors from the latest strike, while independent experts have described the operations as “illegal extrajudicial killings” that violate international law—even if the targets were confirmed traffickers.
President Donald Trump, who has been overseeing the controversial operations, hinted on Wednesday that he had authorized covert CIA action against Venezuela and was “considering expanding” the mission onto land.
“We are certainly looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
His remarks came shortly before Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of the US Southern Command—which oversees US military operations in Central and South America—announced his resignation. Holsey gave no reason for stepping down just one year into his tenure, continuing a recent pattern of abrupt military leadership changes within the Trump administration.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has condemned the US actions, accusing Washington of pursuing “regime change through military aggression.”
“They are orchestrating coups d’état and assassination attempts through the CIA,” Maduro said during a televised address on Thursday. “Venezuela will defend its sovereignty with all means available.”
Vice President Delcy Rodríguez also dismissed media reports alleging that she had engaged in backdoor negotiations with the US to facilitate Maduro’s ouster, calling them “fabrications by imperialist agents.”
AFP correspondents in Tachira confirmed the presence of heavily armed Venezuelan troops near the three major bridges connecting Venezuela to Colombia, while additional units have been sighted in Amazonas state, bordering Colombia and Brazil, as well as several coastal regions.
