The Venezuelan president says the weapons will be used to defend the country. Trump is considering carrying out ground operations to supposedly combat drug trafficking in Latin America. The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, declared on Wednesday (22/10) that the country possesses “more than 5 thousand” Russian Igla-S anti-aircraft missiles, which he defined as “one of the most powerful weapons in existence” and intended to guarantee “tranquility” of the Venezuelan people.
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S, and Venezuela has no fewer than 5,000 Igla-S in key anti-aircraft defense posts, to ensure peace, stability and tranquility for our people,” Maduro said in an event broadcast by state broadcaster VTV.
The Igla-S is a portable missile, designed to shoot down low-flying aircraft. It has already been used in military exercises ordered by Maduro in response to US military activity in the Caribbean, which has angered leaders across much of Latin America.
Maduro considers the American action a threat to achieve “regime change”. The United States defends the presence of its forces in the region to allegedly fight drug trafficking from the South American country.
Illegal summary executions
Washington has mobilized ships and fighter planes, claiming to fight drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea, where, since the beginning of September, it has carried out at least seven attacks that have left 32 dead. American President Donald Trump also announced that he had also authorized Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations against Venezuela.
The United States accuses Maduro of leading a vast drug trafficking organization. Experts say summary executions are illegal, even when targeted by confirmed drug traffickers.
Trump said Wednesday that if he decides to pursue his anti-drug trafficking operations on the ground, he will first have to notify Congress because it is a “national security” issue. “If we don’t do this, hundreds of thousands of people will come in by land, because they’re no longer coming in by sea,” Trump said when asked about his military actions near the Venezuelan coast.
The US president has said he will order bombings against possible ground targets as part of a campaign against people linked to drug trafficking. “We will give them a hard blow when they enter by land,” he reiterated.
Trump added that his administration will “probably” later turn to Congress to explain exactly what it is doing before launching ground attacks. However, he clarified that, at his discretion, the government will not need permission to do so and will be able to act, as he has legal authorization.
This Wednesday, the US War Department also confirmed what would be the eighth attack against alleged “narcoboats” and the first in the Pacific Ocean since the Pentagon began an anti-drug operation in the Caribbean near the coast of Venezuela.
The presence of American military ships and planes has caused an escalation of tensions with the governments of Colombia and Venezuela, whose presidents, Gustavo Petro and Nicolás Maduro, have been accused by Trump of leading “drug trafficking networks”, which they deny.
cn (EFE, Lusa, AFP)
Source: Terra
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