Venezuela holds defense drills amid US tensions

ByEnigma 808

Venezuela began major coastal military drills on Saturday, as Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino warned of foreign destabilization efforts. The exercises began three days earlier amid rising friction with Washington after President Donald Trump sent an aircraft carrier battle group to the region and approved Central Intelligence Agency missions.

Padrino told state television the maneuvers protect against narcotics trafficking, terrorism and secret operations meant to weaken internal stability. Trump publicly acknowledged he had greenlit CIA work inside Venezuela and said he might order ground attacks against criminal networks.

The Pentagon deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, eight support vessels, F-35 combat aircraft and a nuclear submarine in one of America’s biggest regional military buildups in recent decades. U.S. forces have bombed more than 10 suspected smuggling boats since early September, killing at least 43 people.

President Nicolas Maduro appealed to Washington on Thursday to prevent armed conflict as Venezuelan troops mobilized with Russian shoulder-fired missiles along nine coastal provinces. State broadcasts showed soldiers and civilian militia members preparing defensive positions against potential strikes.

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    Besides writing and being a content creator, Enigma 808 sometimes likes to watch paint dry on walls, listening to ASMR while timing snails racing. Such is life.