Caracas [Venezuela], August 21: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced plans to deploy more than four million militia fighters in response to what he called new "threats" from the United States, after Washington raised a bounty for his arrest and launched anti-drug operations in the Caribbean.
"This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory - militias that are prepared, activated and armed," Maduro said in a televised address, Al Jazeera reported.
Venezuela's civilian militia was first established by former President Hugo Chavez and is officially listed as having around five million members, though analysts believe the actual numbers may be significantly lower. The country's population currently stands at about 30 million.
Maduro lashed out at the United States, denouncing what he described as "extravagant, bizarre and outlandish threats" from Washington. According to Al Jazeera, his remarks followed the decision of US President Donald Trump's administration to double its reward for his capture to USD 50 million.
Washington accuses him of running a cocaine smuggling ring known as the Cartel de los Soles.
The United States, which has refused to recognise Maduro's last two electoral victories, has imposed multiple sanctions targeting his administration as well as individuals allegedly linked to the cartel.
However, Al Jazeera noted that US authorities have not presented evidence tying Maduro directly to drug trafficking operations.
In parallel, the US military dispatched three guided-missile destroyers to the southern Caribbean as part of its expanded campaign against drug cartels in Latin America.
"We are also deployed throughout the Caribbean ... in our sea, our property, Venezuelan territory," Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said, as cited by Al Jazeera.
Maduro urged his supporters to broaden the network of worker and peasant militias and pledged to equip them with "rifles and missiles" to safeguard the nation's sovereignty. Despite the escalating standoff, he thanked international voices that opposed Washington's stance, dismissing the US rhetoric as a "rotten refrain."
Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected US allegations suggesting links between Maduro and Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, clarifying that her administration had no evidence of such connections, Al Jazeera reported.
Source: Times of Oman
