The Venezuelan government announced this Sunday (26) the capture of a group of mercenaries allegedly linked to the CIA, the United States intelligence agency. Caracas did not release details on the number of detainees or the date of the operation, but stated that the action takes place amid what it classified as US “military provocations” in the Caribbean region.
The statement was issued on the same day that an American missile ship, the USS Gravely, arrived in Trinidad and Tobago to participate in joint naval exercises with local forces, a few kilometers off the Venezuelan coast.
The government of Trinidad and Tobago stated that the objective of the mission is to strengthen security cooperation, combat transnational crime and promote humanitarian actions. However, Caracas denounced the movement as part of a “false flag attack” intended to justify a military offensive against the country.
FREE TOOL
XP simulator
Find out in 1 minute how much your money can yield
“The government of Trinidad and Tobago has repeatedly made clear that it values this country’s relationship with the people of Venezuela, given our shared history,” says the official statement from the Trinidadian government.
In a statement, Nicolás Maduro’s regime accused the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, of “renouncing national sovereignty” and transforming the territory into a “United States aircraft carrier” for a war in the Caribbean and South America.
According to the AFP news agency, the US military presence divided opinions in Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Part of the population sees the arrival of the USS Gravely as a reinforcement of the fight against drug trafficking in the region, while others fear an escalation of tensions with Venezuela.
Continues after advertising
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Monday (27) that he offered American President Donald Trump help to mediate dialogue with Venezuela, in defense of “South America as a zone of peace”.
“I told Trump that, from what I read in the press, the situation is getting worse and that Brazil can help in relations with Venezuela,” said Lula during a press conference in Malaysia.
The US military operation in the Caribbean and the Pacific has already resulted in 43 deaths in ten bombings against vessels suspected of drug trafficking. Among the victims were two Trinidadian citizens, killed in mid-October, information that local authorities have not yet confirmed or denied.
