Washington [US], November 23: US officials have hinted at a possible new phase of the campaign involving Venezuela, while warning of a 'dangerous situation' in Venezuela that has prompted six airlines to cancel flights to the country.
Reuters on November 23 quoted anonymous US officials revealing that the administration of US President Donald Trump is about to launch a new phase of the campaign related to Venezuela in the next few days.
It is unclear when and how far the new phase will go, or whether Mr Trump has made a final decision on its deployment. Rumours of possible US action have been rife in recent weeks, as the US military has deployed forces to the Caribbean amid deteriorating relations with Venezuela.
The covert operation is likely the first step in a new campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro , the officials said . The Pentagon referred questions to the White House when asked for comment, while the CIA declined to comment.
A senior US administration official said on November 22 that they did not rule out any possibility related to Venezuela.
"President Trump is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flowing into our country and bring those responsible to justice," the official said.
Venezuela's Information Ministry has not responded to a request for comment.
The US has been building up its military presence in the Caribbean for months and Mr Trump has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on November 21 warned major airlines of a "potentially hazardous situation" when flying over Venezuela and urged them to exercise caution.
The United States plans to designate the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization on November 24 because of its alleged role in smuggling illegal drugs into the United States, officials said. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading the Cartel de los Soles, which Maduro denies.
So far, US forces in the region have focused on counter-narcotics operations, albeit with far more firepower than is necessary for the task. Since September, US troops have carried out at least 21 attacks on boats suspected of carrying drugs, killing at least 83 people.
The attacks mainly took place in the Caribbean, although ships in the Pacific were also targeted.
Before the news that the US was considering a new phase of the campaign, President Maduro announced on September 29 that he was ready to declare a state of emergency if "attacked by the US".
In a related development, AFP reported on November 23 that six airlines had canceled flights to Venezuela, following the FAA's warning.
The president of the Association of Airlines of Venezuela (ALAV) Marisela de Loaiza said that Spain's Iberia, Portugal's TAP, Chile's LATAM, Colombia's Avianca, Brazil's GOL and Trinidad and Tobago's Caribbean have suspended flights to the country.
She did not specify how long the flight suspensions would last.
Panama's Copa Airlines, Spain's Air Europa and PlusUltra, Turkey's Turkish Airlines, and Venezuela's LASER continue to operate flights to Venezuela .
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper
