Venezuela claimed it captured a “mercenary group” linked to the Central Intelligence Company (CIA) on Sunday, and accused them of aiming to spark a navy battle with the South American nation.
“A false flag assault is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to generate a full navy confrontation with our nation,” Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez stated in a statement.
Rodriguez claimed the mercenary group was captured “with direct data of the American intelligence company, CIA.”
The Venezuelan official didn't present any proof to substantiate her wild claims, together with the variety of folks captured, the place they had been from, what was discovered on them and what they had been allegedly plotting.
Rodriguez likened the purported plot to the 1898 explosion of the USS Maine off the coast of Cuba and the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident close to Vietnam – the precipitating causes of the Spanish-American and Vietnam wars, respectively.
The White Home didn't reply to The Submit's request for remark.
The accusation from Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro's regime comes because the Trump administration has ramped up navy operations aimed toward countering drug cartels linked to the socialist South American strongman.
Warfare Secretary Pete Hegseth deployed the Gerald R. Ford Service Strike Group to the Caribbean Sea final week, the place it's going to be part of a number of different high-powered Navy ships already conducting operations in worldwide waters.
Joint navy workouts between the US and Trinidad and Tobago are at present underway.
President Trump confirmed studies earlier this month that he licensed the CIA to hold out covert operations in Venezuela.
The president additionally hinted at concentrating on drug cartels over land final week.
The US navy has carried out at the very least 10 airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats within the Caribbean Sea and Jap Pacific Ocean since final month, killing greater than 30 suspected narco-terrorists.
1000's of troops and extremely superior F-35 fighter jets have additionally been deployed to the area.
Earlier this 12 months, the Trump administration put out a $50 million bounty on Maduro, who's believed by the US to be the chief of Venezuelan drug-trafficking teams.
The dictator has accused the Trump administration of in search of regime change in Venezuela, and earlier this month, he alleged the US was planning to bomb the US Embassy in Caracas as a part of a false flag assault.
With Submit Wires
