US President Donald Trump has ordered a major military buildup in Latin America that he says is to combat drug trafficking, but which his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro fears is aimed at regime change in Caracas.
The US deployment — and the deadly strikes on alleged drug traffickers that American forces have carried out — have fueled fears of wider military conflict and sparked wars of words between Trump and some Latin American leaders.
Below, AFP examines the forces available to Washington and Caracas, the strikes the US has carried out, and the diplomatic fallout that has resulted.
– Military forces –
The United States has deployed 10 F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico as well as eight US Navy ships to the Caribbean: three destroyers, a cruiser, a littoral combat ship and three amphibious assault ships accompanied by a contingent of Marines.
Trump has also ordered the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group to the region, a move which will massively increase American firepower there.
And Washington sent at least one B1-B bomber off Venezuela’s coast on Thursday, after making a show of force with B-52 bombers that circled near the country for several hours last week.
Venezuela would be massively outgunned in a conflict with the United States.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that Venezuela’s armed forces comprise 123,000 personnel, with an additional 220,000 volunteer militia members made up of Maduro loyalists, though some experts believe the numbers are much lower.
Maduro — who earlier this week said that Venezuela had 5,000 Russian surface-to-air missiles to counter US forces — has ordered exercises nationwide and positioned soldiers at the borders amid the heightened tensions with the United States.
Thousands of Venezuelans have also joined a civilian militia in response to Maduro’s call for bolstering the cash-strapped country’s defenses. Many have taken part in weapons training held at military barracks and in neighborhoods.
– Deadly strikes –
On Trump’s orders, US forces began carrying out strikes in early September targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats — a campaign that has seen the destruction of at least 10 vessels — nine boats and a semi-submersible — so far.
The strikes have killed at least 43 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures, but Washington has yet to release evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics.
Experts say the summary killings are illegal even if they target confirmed traffickers.
The Pentagon has told Congress that the United States is in “armed conflict” with Latin American drug cartels, designating them as terrorist groups and describing suspected smugglers as “unlawful combatants.”
– War of words –
The United States accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel and is offering a $50 million bounty for his capture. Trump has also said that he authorized covert action against the South American nation.
Maduro has meanwhile pleaded against a conflict with the United States, saying: “No crazy war, please,” while his defense minister vowed that the country would fight against the installation of a government “subservient” to the United States.
Other regional countries have also weighed in, with Colombia’s Gustavo Petro — a sharp critic of the strikes — verbally sparring with Trump, while an aide to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula said the regional powerhouse “cannot accept” an outside intervention in Venezuela.
On Friday, Washington sanctioned Petro, saying he “allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”
Petro was defiant, posting on social media: “Not one step back and never on my knees.”
wd/iv
© Agence France-Presse