Tension is increasing between the United States and Venezuela, in a confrontation that threatens to spread to the entire region. Washington intensifies maritime attacks against drug trafficking and in response Nicolás Maduro says he has five thousand Russian missiles ready to face the North American force.
In a show of strength in front of television cameras and surrounded by government and military authorities, Nicolás Maduro promises to face the North American threat.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of Igla-S and Venezuela has five thousand in key air defense points to guarantee peace. Let no one mess with Venezuela and we won’t mess with anyone”, warned the Venezuelan president.
The Igla-S is a Russian-made portable missile designed to shoot down planes at low altitude. Maduro’s statement comes at a time when the United States is intensifying military operations against drug trafficking in the Pacific.
This Wednesday, the White House confirmed new attacks and the deaths of five more alleged drug traffickers. A matter of national security for Donald Trump, who insists on the legality of the operations.
“Yes, we have the legal authority. We are allowed to do this. And if we do it by land, we can go back to Congress. But this is a national security problem. Drugs killed 300,000 people last year. These drugs are coming in. Now, they’re going to come in by land a little more, because they’re no longer coming in by boat. There are no boats at sea. We recognize the boat almost immediately and we’re going to hit them hard when they come in by land,” said Donald Trump.
The North American president accuses the governments of Venezuela and Colombia of promoting drug trafficking networks. Caracas says Washington wants to impose regime change to control the country’s oil reserves.
Warlike rhetoric is rising in tone and appears to transform the fight against drug trafficking into a geopolitical dispute with the growing risk of an escalation of violence in the region.
Since the beginning of September, at least 32 people have died.
