Venezuela has criticized the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago for holding joint military exercises with the United States and allowing a US warship to dock just off its coast.
“Venezuela condemns Trinidad and Tobago’s military provocation, in coordination with the CIA, which aims to instigate war in the Caribbean,” the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said in a statement on Sunday.
Trinidad and Tobago is just 11 kilometers (6.8 mi) from the Venezuelan coast at its closest point.
In a statement posted on her Telegram channel by Executive Vice President Delsey Rodríguez, Venezuela accused the island nation of acting as a “military colony” for the United States so they can “wage war in the Caribbean against Venezuela, against Colombia and against all of South America.”
US destroyer docked in Trinidad just off the Venezuelan coast
Earlier on Sunday, the USS Graveley, a guided missile destroyer carrying US Marines, stopped in the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.
The warship is in the Caribbean nation for a four-day visit, which will include joint training with local defense forces.
It has advanced weapons including long-range Tomahawk missiles and can launch helicopters.
The docking of the USS Gravelly comes just days after the US Defense Department ordered the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Ford, and her strike group to the region.
The USS Ford, which was ordered to the Caribbean on Friday, carries dozens of fighter jets along with electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft.
Caribbean sees largest gathering of US troops in decades
The Caribbean region has seen an unusually large number of US military forces in Venezuelan waters since late August.
By mid-October more than 10,000 American troops and dozens of warplanes were already in the area. new York TimesAbout half of the American troops were aboard eight battleships Times Say, while the rest are located in Puerto Rico, about 800 kilometers off the coast of Venezuela.
The administration of President Donald Trump, which has accused Maduro of leading a drug cartel, says the buildup is part of an operation to combat drug trafficking in the US.
The US has stepped up its attacks on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that the Trump administration claims are smuggling drugs, targeting at least 10 ships since September and killing at least 43 people.
But with the increase in American troops, there is speculation that the Trump administration wants to remove Maduro.
Venezuela reiterates claims of arrest of mercenaries
In Sunday’s statement, Venezuela said it had captured “a group of mercenaries” linked to the CIA and whose aim was to carry out a false attack in the region.
A false flag attack is an operation when an act is carried out in such a way that a different party appears responsible.
“A false flag attack is underway in the waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidad or Venezuelan territory in order to create a full-scale military confrontation with our country,” the Venezuelan government said in the statement.
The statement did not provide further details or evidence of the false flag attack allegations.
Venezuela regularly claims it has arrested mercenaries linked to the CIA or intelligence agencies of other countries who, it says, are working to destabilize Maduro’s administration.
US President Donald Trump confirmed reports in early October that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
Edited by: John Silk