American fighter jets are being deployed to the Caribbean to strengthen US military operations against drug cartels in the region, according to reports. It comes amid soaring tensions with Venezuela and days after an American missile strike sank a boat which the Trump administration alleged was carrying drugs.
Donald Trump said 11 “narcoterrorists” from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were killed in the strike in international waters. The deployment of the jets has not been officially confirmed by the US Department of Defense, which is being rebranded as the ‘Department of War’, however reports suggest 10 state-of-the-art F-35s are set to arrive at a base in Puerto Rico. The news came hours after the Pentagon accused Venezuela of buzzing one of its warships in the region, describing the alleged incident as a “highly provocative move”.
The deployment of the F-35s to Puerto Rico was first reported by Reuters, citing sources speaking on condition of anonymity.
The stealth aircraft are expected to arrive by late next week, the news agency reports.
The Trump administration designated the Tren de Aragua gang a terrorist organisation in February.
Mr Trump has accused the group of being “under the control of” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which the country denies.
The US President promised to tackle drug-trafficking as part of his election campaign last year.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed strikes, such as the one on the alleged drug boat on Tuesday, “will happen again”.
He said previous US interdiction efforts in Latin America have not worked in stemming the flow of illicit drugs into the United States and beyond, adding: “What will stop them is when you blow them up, when you get rid of them.”
The F-35s are set to be used in operations against designated narco-terrorist groups in the southern Caribbean, sources told Reuters, amid a build-up of US forces in the region.
An American unnamed official also said two Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over destroyer the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday while in international waters.
Caracas has not responded to the allegations, reports say.
Mr Maduro has accused the US of “seeking a regime change through military threat” and has vowed to beef up Venezuela’s own forces.