Maduro Accuses US of ‘Eternal War’ After Trump Orders Military Buildup in Caribbean

The Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro said the U.S. is making up "an eternal war" as the Trump administration announced a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean on Friday (October 24), including plans to deploy the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to Latin America. The deployment, which would add to eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine and F-35 aircraft already in the region, marks a significant escalation amid heightened tensions with Venezuela, whose government Washington has long accused of harbouring drug traffickers and undermining democratic institutions. Maduro defended Venezuela as a drug‑free country, adding that Venezuela will put an end to the cocaine trafficking that comes from neighbouring Colombia. The Gerald R. Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the United States' newest aircraft carrier and the world's largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard. Trump hasn't specified when the carrier will depart for the region. On Friday, CNN reported Trump is considering plans to target facilities producing cocaine and routes used for drug trafficking inside Venezuela but has not yet decided whether to proceed, citing three U.S. officials. #Venezuela #Maduro #Trump #USMilitary #Caribbean #DrugWar #GeraldRFord #LatinAmerica #BreakingNews #USPolitics #NicolasMaduro #DonaldTrump #VenezuelaNews #Caracas #MilitaryDeployment #USSCarrierStrikeGroup --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dawn News English is your window into the latest news, insight, and features from South Asia and beyond. Official Facebook:   / dawndotcom   Official Twitter:   / dawn_com   Website: www.dawn.com Official Instagram:   / dawnnewsenglish   #news #latestnews #dawnnewsenglish #dawnnews