The American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has arrived in the Caribbean. Venezuela reacts by mobilizing the army.
On Tuesday, the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group arrived in the waters of the Caribbean and Latin America, which as a whole falls under the US Navy’s Southern Command. According to the Venezuelan government, this US military deployment could result in open conflict. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
A statement from the US Naval Forces Southern Command said the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which was ordered to deploy by the Pentagon nearly three weeks ago to help fight drug trafficking, had entered the command’s area of operations.
Venezuela activates the military
In response to the announced arrival of the American aircraft carrier, Venezuela announced the activation of all components of the armed forces on Tuesday. AFP states that the Venezuelan government or the army have often made such statements recently, but this does not always lead to the visible deployment of soldiers.
Tensions between Washington and Caracas have risen dramatically recently, when US President Donald Trump ordered the military to attack Venezuelan vessels he accused of smuggling drugs.
American interventions at sea
According to US data, Washington has carried out attacks on at least 20 vessels in international waters since the beginning of September, killing around 76 people.
The Trump administration also claims that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is the head of a drug cartel. Maduro has denied the allegations and insists that Venezuela is being used against its will as a route to smuggle cocaine from Colombia. American operations have raised concerns in Caracas that the ultimate goal of the US is the overthrow of Maduro.
