नवीनतम
Fearing US invasion, Venezuela to hold emergency drills
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: Venezuela, on high alert over a US military deployment off its coast that has stirred invasion fears, will hold disaster preparedness drills on Saturday as President Nicolas Maduro mulls invoking emergency powers.
Maduro called for the drills on Thursday, hours after several earth tremors rattled a population already unnerved by deadly US strikes on alleged Venezuelan narco boats.
US President Donald Trump has deployed eight warships and a nuclear-powered submarine to the southern Caribbean as part of a stated plan to combat drug trafficking.
US forces have destroyed at least three suspected drug boats in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing over a dozen people in a move decried as "extrajudicial execution" by UN experts.
Now, US military officials are drawing up options to target drug traffickers inside Venezuela's borders, according to a report by NBC citing four sources familiar with the discussions.
The strikes could happen "in the next several weeks," although Trump has not yet approved them, the report said.
Maduro, whom Trump accuses of leading a narco cartel, suspects Washington of pursuing regime change.
Thousands of Venezuelans have joined a civilian militia in response to Maduro's call for bolstering the cash-strapped country's defenses.
Many have taken part in weapons training held at military barracks and in neighborhoods.
Adding to the tension, the country's west was rattled by a series of quakes Wednesday and Thursday, of which the strongest registered a magnitude of 6.3 but without causing major damage or any casualties.
Maduro referred to US "threats" as he called for a drill starting at 9:00 am on Saturday to test "the people's readiness for natural catastrophes or any armed conflict."
Schools and hospitals are to take part "to prepare for any circumstance," the president said.
