Tensions with Venezuela rise: US warship deployed to Latin America

The United States has deployed an aircraft carrier to the Latin American region amid rising tensions with Venezuela. US officials said on Tuesday (November 11) that the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group has been deployed to the Latin American region. 

The US military presence has increased dramatically as tensions with Venezuela have risen. President Donald Trump ordered the Ford deployment last month, which joins eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 fighter jets already in the Caribbean Sea.

Commissioned in 2017, the Gerald Ford is the US's most modern and largest aircraft carrier in the world, with more than 5,000 sailors on duty.

The US military has so far attacked at least 19 ships suspected of carrying drugs in the Caribbean Sea and off the Pacific coast of Latin America. At least 76 people have been killed in these attacks.

The Pentagon says the aim of its warship deployment is to counter drug trafficking and weaken and destroy transnational criminal gangs. On the other hand, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US of preparing military operations in Latin America to overthrow him. Washington has accused Maduro of having links to drug trafficking and criminal gangs. Maduro has denied the allegations.

Incidentally, Washington has announced a reward for information leading to the arrest of Maduro. The reward was doubled to $50 million in August.