U.S. President Donald Trump said the next step in the fight against drug cartels will be ground operations by U.S. forces, Reuters reported, and that the administration plans to brief Congress on the matter. Trump said a declaration of war is not required. Reuters
“I don’t think we necessarily have to ask [Congress] for a declaration of war. I think we’re just going to kill the people who bring drugs into our country. You understand? We’ll kill them,” Trump told reporters at the White House, according to Reuters and other outlets. Reuters+1
The U.S. military has been increasing its presence in the Caribbean — deploying guided-missile destroyers, F-35 fighters, a nuclear submarine and thousands of troops — and since early September has carried out strikes on vessels suspected of trafficking drugs, actions that U.S. officials say have killed dozens. Reporting indicates nearly 40 people have been killed in recent maritime strikes. The Washington Post+1
U.S. media and officials say planned land operations would likely target camps and infrastructure used by narcotics traffickers, and are not intended as a direct attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan government. President Nicolás Maduro said on 23 October that the “working class” would resist any U.S. intervention. The Washington Post+1
Trump has also acknowledged he authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela earlier this month, a move that, together with the strikes at sea and talk of land attacks, has drawn criticism from lawmakers, human rights groups and U.N. experts who warn about legality and the risk of escalation.
