A US aircraft carrier is heading towards Venezuela to fight drug cartels.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced Friday that the Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Strike Group has been deployed to support the fight against drug cartels. The decision comes after the announcement of operations against the gangs on land.
"In support of the President's directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and combat narcoterrorism in defense of the homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and deployed a transport squadron to the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility," Parnell wrote in a statement. Southern Command's area of responsibility extends to all Latin American countries except Mexico.
Parnell said the increased presence of US forces would "strengthen and expand existing capabilities to combat drug trafficking and to disrupt and dismantle drug cartels."
The announcement comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced land-based strikes against cartels and following the 10th fatal attack on a speedboat suspected of carrying drugs off the coast of Venezuela. On Thursday, U.S. forces also conducted a B-1 bomber mission toward Venezuela.
On Thursday, President Trump announced that he would soon inform Congress of his intention to use force against drug cartels on land, including on the ground. However, he said he would not request a formal declaration of war.
"I don't think we're necessarily going to demand a declaration of war. I think we're just going to kill people. Okay? We're going to kill them. They're going to be, you know, dead," the president said.
While Trump hasn't specified where he intends to strike, he has said in the past that he may launch attacks against gangs inside Venezuela. Most of the attacks on boats believed to be carrying drugs have taken place near the country's coast. The Trump administration accuses the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro, of masterminding drug smuggling.
When asked later whether the planned operations would result in the deployment of U.S. troops on the territory of foreign countries, Trump did not answer the question but mentioned Mexico and Colombia as countries with particular problems.
"Colombia is a drug den and has been for a long time. We have a bad leader there now, a bad guy, a bandit. They produce cocaine on an unprecedented scale, then sell it, and they won't get away with it for much longer," the president announced. "Colombia is very bad. Mexico is run by cartels," he stated.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the newest and largest aircraft carrier in the US Navy. Displacing over 100,000 tons, it carries over 75 combat aircraft. Like other ships of its class, it operates in conjunction with escort and supply ships. Typically, such a grouping includes several destroyers or frigates, often reinforced by a cruiser and submarines. These are accompanied by logistics ships. In total, such a grouping can carry as many as 8,000 troops.
From Washington, Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
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