US State Department urges Americans to leave Venezuela, avoid travel to country
The United States is piling the pressure on Venezuela, with a major military buildup in the Caribbean, the designation of an alleged drug cartel run by Maduro as a terrorist group, and an ominous warning from Trump that Venezuelan airspace is "closed."Washington says the aim of the military deployment launched in September is to curb drug trafficking in the region, but Caracas insists regime change is the ultimate goal.
Image: JUAN BARRETO / AFP
The US State Department has urged American citizens to immediately leave Venezuela and avoid all travel to the country.
"Do not travel to or remain in Venezuela due to the high risk of wrongful detention, torture in detention, terrorism, kidnapping, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.
All US citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in Venezuela are strongly advised to depart immediately, the travel advisory said.
The US Navy has confirmed that the USS Thomas Hudner destroyer had arrived in the Southern Command amid the tensions around Venezuela.Since early September, US President Donald Trump has authorised a number of strikes targeting alleged drug trafficking vessels off Venezuela's coasts.
These actions were criticized by some US lawmakers, who believe the Trump administration should provide lawmakers with more justification for the strikes.
Sputnik