Cerco a Venezuela: EE.UU. iniciará ejercicios militares con Trinidad y Tobago
www.telesurtv.net
El Gobierno de Venezuela ha alertado con anterioridad que el despliegue militar de EE.UU. en Trinidad y Tobago podría ser utilizado como plataforma para atentar contra su soberanía territorial.

Troops from the U.S. Southern Command and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) will conduct joint military exercises from November 16 to 21 , justified by the Caribbean nation as a measure against organized crime, amid a greater U.S. military presence in the region .

The Trinidadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that this collaboration is one of the many exercises that the US Armed Forces have conducted with the TTDF, which “demonstrates the strong alliance” between the two nations.

According to the official statement, the main objective of the exercise is military exchange within the framework of a coordinated strategy to combat gang violence and gun crime in urban and rural areas of the Caribbean archipelago . The training will be supported by helicopters from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed to U.S. Southern Command.

“The objective of the upcoming exercise is military exchange, which will allow personnel from both countries to familiarize themselves with each other’s equipment, tactics, and techniques ,” the statement said.

However, these exercises coincide with the announcement by US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth regarding the start of Operation Southern Spear , whose stated objective is to “eliminate narco-terrorists” from the hemisphere . The official did not offer details about the scope, troop levels, or duration of the operation.

The Pentagon’s initiative generated a strong international reaction. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia hopes "no measures will be taken that could lead to the destabilization of the situation in the Caribbean and around Venezuela . "

For his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denounced that Washington resorts “to fallacy” to justify “a disproportionate military deployment, mobilized under false pretexts.”

Since August, the White House has maintained a significant military force off the coast of Venezuela, including warships, submarines, and fighter jets. Under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, these forces have bombed suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 people.

Venezuela rejects the belligerent stance of Trinidad and Tobago

The Venezuelan government has previously warned that the US military deployment in Trinidad and Tobago could be used as a platform to threaten its territorial sovereignty, under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking. The distance between the two South American countries is approximately 11 kilometers at their closest point.

On October 27, Foreign Minister Yván Gil informed the Trinidadian government about a false flag operation, directed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) , which included attacking a US military vessel to blame Caracas.

In response, the Venezuelan government activated “Plan Independence 200 ,” mobilizing some 200,000 troops, aircraft, and naval resources to reinforce and protect the country’s borders and defend strategic installations.

On the other hand, as a political reaction, the National Assembly of Venezuela approved on October 28 an agreement declaring Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar persona non grata , holding her responsible for facilitating CIA and Southern Command operations against Venezuela.

The agreement states that this stance constitutes a threat to peace in the Caribbean , a violation of the principles of CARICOM and the CELAC Proclamation as a Zone of Peace , and also affects regional stability and bilateral energy ties.