On Tuesday at a White House cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump dropped a major bombshell: the US will soon ramp up its anti-drug fight with land strikes targeting traffickers in the Caribbean 🌴💥.
"We’re going to start doing those strikes on land. You know, the land is much easier… and we know the routes they take," Trump said, adding the operations would kick off "very soon."
In his Thanksgiving message to troops last Thursday, Trump thanked the Air Force’s 7th Bomb Wing for helping to "deter Venezuelan drug traffickers," noting that about 85% of illicit shipments have been stopped at sea. "Now we’ll be starting to stop them by land," he added from his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Since this September, the Pentagon has carried out at least 21 known strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, reportedly neutralizing over 80 targets. The US has also deployed around a dozen warships, including the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier, and about 15,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea — its biggest regional presence in 30 years ⚓️.
While this action is happening halfway around the world, its ripple effects on global trade routes and drug flows could impact markets and communities from Mumbai to Manila 🌏.
Critics in Washington question whether this is purely a counternarcotics mission and raise legal concerns over strikes outside US borders. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denies any ties to drug networks, accusing the US of "fabricating" a campaign aimed at regime change.
For young adults tracking global security and policy shifts, these moves mark a bold escalation in the US drug war. Will land operations keep Caribbean lanes safer, or stir more controversy? Stay tuned as we follow this story 🔍.
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Trump says U.S. to start land strikes on drug traffickers in Caribbean
cgtn.com
