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Drugs, migrants, regime change? Reasons for Trump's military action in Venezuela, President Maduro's ‘capture’
The Venezuelan government declared a national emergency after the explosions and said it rejected what it described as “military aggression by the US”.
Drug smuggling, large-scale immigration into the US, and the Communist regime's policies are seen among several reasons behind US military action against Venezuela, which resulted in the “capture” of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday.
Explosions shook Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, early on Saturday, with thick black smoke and aircraft visible over parts of the city.
This came after months of heightened tensions between Venezuela and the US. President Donald Trump later confirmed the strikes and action against Maduro. The Venezuelan government declared a national emergency after the explosions and said in a statement that it had rejected what it described as “military aggression by the United States”.
What is the reason for tensions between the US and Venezuela?
Donald Trump had been pressuring Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to flee the nation, Reuters reported. Trump had said on Monday that it would be "smart" for Maduro to step down from power.
The US administration has also blamed Maduro for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants in the US. They are among close to 8 million Venezuelans estimated to have fled the country's economic crisis and repression since 2013, the year Maduro came to power as part of the Communist regime of the South American country.
Trump also blames his Venezuelan counterpart for the influx of drugs, especially fentanyl and cocaine, into the US.
The US has designated two Venezuelan criminal groups, Tren de Aragua and Cartel de los Soles, as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) and has alleged that the latter is led by Maduro himself.
Maduro has vehemently denied being a cartel leader and has accused the US of using its "war on drugs" as an excuse to try to depose him and get its hands on Venezuela's vast oil reserves.
According to a BBC report, analysts have pointed out that Cartel de los Soles is not a hierarchical group but a term used to describe corrupt officials who have allowed cocaine to transit through Venezuela.
The latest strikes on Venezuela come amid a major military buildup in the region by Washington, including an aircraft carrier, warships and advanced fighter jets stationed in the Caribbean.
Trump sought a "blockade" of Venezuelan oil, expanded sanctions against the Maduro government and staged more than two dozen strikes on vessels the US alleges were involved in trafficking drugs in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
Last week, Trump said the United States had hit an area in Venezuela where boats are loaded with drugs, marking the first known time Washington has carried out land operations in Venezuela since the pressure campaign began. He did not say whether those strikes were carried out by the CIA or not. Other media outlets have reported that the spy agency was behind them.
Maduro now faces charges of narco-terror in the US, even as several countries such as Russia have criticised the military action.
