Washington [US], December 31: Recent statements by US President Donald Trump suggest that Washington may have launched its first ground attack on Venezuelan territory in its anti-drug campaign.
Was the CIA behind the attack?
International media outlets reported yesterday (December 30) that President Trump revealed the US had raided and destroyed a dock suspected of being used for transporting drugs in Venezuela . Trump stated that the US attacked the facility "located along the Venezuelan coast," asserting that "the site no longer exists," according to AFP.
Speaking at a press conference on December 29, the White House occupant did not disclose the location of the attack, the specific timeframe, or which US agency carried out the operation. As of yesterday afternoon, the veracity of the information about the US attack on Venezuelan soil remained unclear. The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has not issued an official response, while Washington has not provided further details.
CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter, reported that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) carried out the December attack on a port off the Venezuelan coast. The sources revealed that the dock was used by the Tren de Aragua cartel to load drugs onto transport ships. The attack allegedly destroyed the facility and ships, but no one was present at the time. The CIA has not commented on the report. When asked if the CIA was behind the operation, Trump declined to confirm, only saying that he "knows exactly who did it but doesn't want to say it."
President Trump has publicly admitted to allowing the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. Last week, on a radio program, he also hinted at a U.S. operation targeting a "major facility" in the South American country.
Using the "counter-terrorism" tactic.
If the aforementioned attack on the dock is confirmed by both sides, it would mark a significant escalation in tensions between the US and Venezuela. Washington has long focused primarily on attacks targeting ships suspected of transporting drugs at sea. Most recently, the US military announced on December 29th another airstrike on such a vessel in the Pacific Ocean. The Associated
Press reported that this was Washington's 30th attack on ships allegedly carrying drugs in the past few months, with a total of at least 107 deaths since September.
In November, Reuters reported that the U.S. was preparing to launch a new phase of operations related to Venezuela, amid increased pressure from the Trump administration on President Maduro 's government . At the time, two U.S. officials said that covert operations would likely be the first step in a new wave of action.
Observers believe the US will continue to pressure the Caracas government by coordinating overt attacks on ships offshore with covert intelligence operations within Venezuelan territory. CNN reports that Washington may use the same "tough" tactics it used against terrorism in the Middle East to target drug trafficking groups. Earlier in December, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declared: "These drug terrorists are al-Qaeda in the Western Hemisphere, and we will hunt them with the same precision we hunt al-Qaeda."
Furthermore, the "economic card" used by the US is the blockade and seizure of embargoed Venezuelan oil tankers, while oil is considered the country's financial lifeline. President Maduro's government condemns the US actions as an attempt to change the regime in Venezuela and to "steal" the country's resources.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper