- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 18/Aug 03:29

US sends nuclear submarine and 4,000 troops to Caribbean

The US is deploying more than 4,000 marines and sailors to waters in the Caribbean as part of an exercise to combat drug cartels. US defence officials told CNN that the deployment of the two Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit was part of a broader repositioning of military assets to the Southern Command (Southcom) jurisdiction. The repositioning has been going on for the last three weeks, CNN has said. US secretary of state Marco Rubio in a clip posted on the US Department of State’s social media profiles said confirmed that the US will confront narco-terrorism in the region. “There are designated narco-terrorist groups groups operating in the region. Some of them utilise international transits and international waters to transit poison into the US. Those groups will be confronted. The President made that clear from the time he was inaugurated.” He also targeted Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro, saying that the Maduro regime is not a government recognised by the US. “The Maduro regime is not a government. It is not a legitimate government and we have never recognised it as such. They are a criminal enterprise that has taken control of national territory and who, by the way, are threatening US oil companies that are operating lawfully in Guyana. “The President has been very firm on this. Anything that is a threat to the United States of America, he is going to confront.” Last week, Reuters reported an anti-drug US military deployment into the South Caribbean. The Reuters story said two unnamed sources had disclosed the deployment of US air and naval forces to the southern Caribbean Sea to address threats from Latin American drug cartels. "The sources had few details of the operation, but President Donald Trump has wanted to use the military to go after Latin American drug gangs that have been designated as global terrorist organisations. The Pentagon had been directed to prepare options." The story said Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central goal of his administration, part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the US southern border, noting the recent deployment of two warships to this end. Reuters quoted its sources speaking on the latest action. "This deployment is aimed at addressing threats to US national security from specially designated narco-terrorist organisations in the region. "The Trump administration designated Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and other drug gangs as well as Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organisations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members." Elsewhere the US military has increased its airborne surveillance of Mexican drug cartels to collect intelligence to determine how to best counter their activities, Reuters said, noting Mexico's rejection of Trump's offer of troops to visit Mexico to help combat drug trafficking. In 2020 the US put a bounty on Maduro's head at US$15 million. In January this was raised to US$25 million. On August 7, this was doubled to US$50 million. On August 7, Rubio announced the reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nicolás Maduro for violating US narcotics laws. "For over a decade, Maduro has been a leader of Cartel de los Soles, which is responsible for trafficking drugs into the United States," Rubio said, saying the US Treasury designated the cartel as a terrorist group on July 25 "Since 2020, Maduro has strangled democracy and grasped at power in Venezuela," Rubio said. "Maduro claimed to have won Venezuela’s July 28, 2024, presidential election but failed to present any evidence that he had prevailed. The United States has refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of 2024 election and does not recognize him as the President of Venezuela." In response, Venezuelan foreign minister Yvan Gill had accused the US of "a crude political propaganda operation." Newsday attempted to contact Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander for a comment, but was unsuccessful. The post US sends nuclear submarine and 4,000 troops to Caribbean appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.