WASHINGTON, August 30. /TASS/. The mission of the US armed forces includes protecting American citizens from criminal cartels and foreign terrorist organizations, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller stated, commenting on reports about the deployment of US military ships off the coast of Venezuela.
"President [Trump] has said from well, actually going back to the campaign and then from day one of his presidency and his executive orders, criminal cartels in this hemisphere are foreign terrorist organizations that present a clear and present danger to the American people," he said, answering questions from journalists at the White House. "There are no organizations on this planet responsible for more dead Americans than the criminal cartels, the narco traffickers that are operating in the Western hemisphere," Miller added.
"President [Trump] has been clear in saying that the mission of the United States military includes the defense of the nation against these foreign terrorist organizations and criminal cartels," emphasized the White House Deputy Chief of Staff. "What you are seeing is the resolve of the President of the United States military to combat and dismantle drug trafficking organizations, criminal cartels and these foreign terrorist organizations in our hemisphere," he concluded.
Reuters reported on August 19, citing Pentagon sources, that three US missile destroyers (USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson) had been deployed near Venezuela as part of an effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels. Other reports mentioned the deployment of the USS Newport News submarine, the USS Lake Erie missile cruiser, landing ships and 4,500 troops. According to the New York Times, US President Donald Trump has secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels.
Washington has made unfounded accusations that Maduro belongs to the nonexistent Cartel de los Soles drug cartel, which is associated with the image of suns on Venezuelan generals' epaulettes. US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced an increase to $50 million in the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.