Maduro mobilizes troops as Venezuela confronts US threats

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 15:34

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro deployed 15,000 troops to the Colombian border, vowing unity and resistance as US warships and threats of intervention escalated tensions.

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Venezuelan soldiers march during a military parade, marking Venezuela's independence day, undated. (FEDERICO PARRA/AFP/Getty Images)

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the deployment of 15,000 troops to the Colombian border in a decisive move to defend the nation against what he described as escalating threats from Washington.

The decision on Tuesday follows the provocative dispatch of at least three US warships carrying more than 4,000 Marines and sailors into Caribbean waters under the pretext of combating drug cartels.

In a televised address, Maduro made clear that Venezuela would not bow to foreign pressure, declaring that the country's greatest strength lies in the collective will of its people and institutions: "a key element of national strength is the unity of the people, the army and the police."

Alongside the troops, the government has activated drones, boats, aircraft and expanded the Bolivarian Militia, with 4.5 million members now mobilized in defense of national sovereignty.

The US campaign has increasingly targeted Venezuela under the banner of "counternarcotics."

Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the designation of several drug cartels as global terrorist groups, adding Venezuela's Cartel de los Soles to the list in July, a move widely seen in Caracas as part of Washington's regime-change agenda.

Maduro condemned Rubio's role in fueling hostility, warning, "Unfortunately, this gentleman [Rubio], with his madness and extremism, could lead President Donald Trump to the worst possible scenario in Latin America and the Caribbean. We will emerge victorious from this situation."

Imperialist aggression

US threats have only intensified. On August 19, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump was prepared to use "every element of American power" against Venezuela, including the possibility of a direct military operation.

Earlier this month, Attorney General Pam Bondi went so far as to place a $50 million bounty on President Maduro, accusing him without evidence of leading the so-called Cartel de los Soles, a charge Caracas rejects as politically motivated.

For Venezuela, these moves confirm long-standing suspicions that Washington's real goal is not fighting drugs, but breaking the country's independence. Maduro's government insists it will not allow imperialist aggression to dictate its future.