1 week ago
4
WASHINGTON, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to behaviour operations against cause cartels, 2 sources briefed connected the substance said, successful a determination apt to further inflame tensions successful the region.
The advanced fighter jets volition beryllium added to an already bristling U.S. subject presence successful the confederate Caribbean arsenic President Donald Trump carries retired a run pledge to ace down connected groups helium blames for funneling drugs into the United States.
Friday's improvement comes 3 days aft U.S. forces attacked a boat that Trump said was carrying "massive amounts of drugs" from Venezuela, sidesplitting 11 people. The onslaught appeared to acceptable the signifier for a sustained subject run successful Latin America.
Fighter jets portion of larger deployments
The sources, speaking connected information of anonymity, said the 10 fighter jets are being sent to behaviour operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations operating successful the confederate Caribbean. The planes should get successful the country by precocious adjacent week, they said.
The U.S. has deployed warships successful the confederate Caribbean successful caller weeks, with the purpose of carrying retired Trump's crackdown.
Seven U.S. warships and 1 nuclear-powered accelerated onslaught submarine are either successful the portion oregon expected to beryllium determination soon, carrying much than 4,500 sailors and Marines. U.S. Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit person been carrying retired amphibious grooming and formation operations successful confederate Puerto Rico.
Maduro responds
The buildup has enactment unit connected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called "effectively a kingpin of a cause narco state."
Maduro, astatine a rare quality conference in Caracas connected Monday, said the United States is "seeking a authorities alteration done subject threat."
U.S. officials person not said what legal justification was utilized for Tuesday's aerial onslaught connected the vessel oregon what drugs were connected board.
Trump said connected Tuesday, without providing evidence, that the U.S. subject had identified the unit of the vas arsenic members of Venezuelan pack Tren de Aragua, which Washington designated a violent radical successful February.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; editing by Scott Malone and Edwina Gibbs)
