WASHINGTON, December 10. /TASS/. Nearly half of US citizens oppose US army strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea, according to the results of a poll conducted jointly by Reuters and the international service Ipsos.
According to the survey data, 48% of respondents are against striking vessels without court sanction, while 34% support such actions and another 18% found it difficult to answer.
The poll was conducted over six days and ended on December 8. More than 4,400 US citizens over the age of 18 took part in it.
Washington has repeatedly leveled unsubstantiated accusations against Caracas, claiming insufficient efforts to combat drug smuggling. The New York Times newspaper also reported that Trump authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations within the Bolivarian Republic. US media outlets have frequently indicated that the United States may soon begin conducting strikes against drug cartel facilities in Venezuela.
In August, The New York Times reported that Trump had signed a classified directive to begin using military force against Latin American drug cartels. Afterward, significant additional US military units were deployed to the Caribbean Sea region. Since September 2, US military forces have carried out at least 22 attacks against vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. At least 87 people have been killed, and two survivors were rescued and repatriated to their home countries, Colombia and Ecuador. In November, the Pentagon announced that a strike group of US ships led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford had entered the area of responsibility of the US Southern Command to combat drug smuggling in the region.