Venezuelan troops, militias decry U.S. ‘terrorist aggression’ with drills
17 February, 2020
Venezuela’s military and civilian militias took the streets in cities, beaches and border regions on Saturday for drills ordered by President Nicolas Maduro, amid tensions between Washington and Caracas.
Regardless of the maneuvers, there are no indications that the U.S. plans any military intervention in Venezuela. Washington has focused on political and diplomatic pressure in its efforts to oust Maduro, only saying this past year that it hadn't eliminated a military option.
Maduro needed the exercises as he comes under pressure from the U.S. and a large number of other nations backing a year-long campaign by opposition leader Juan Guaido to force the first choice from power.
Residents in a pro-Maduro slum in Caracas participated in the exercises. They included an increasing number of civilian militia members recruited by a cash-starved government that's struggling to keep Venezuela’s shattered economy afloat.
“I answered the decision to help plan our defense because my country, my homeland, is under threat from the U.S. empire,” said militia member Pablo Antonio Reyes, a 63-year-old electronics technician.
Militiamen and government supporters dressed up in red shirts held combat drills on streets blocked off by city buses. They evacuated residents from buildings as tires burned on rooftops to simulate fires from attacks.
“The objective of this exercise is to keep us prepared,” said militia member Carmen Ferrer, 50.
Maduro said that the two-day maneuvers were aimed at fending off “terrorist aggression” by Washington and its allies in the region including neighboring Colombia.
The Venezuelan military, which has received Russian support, deployed missile launchers, anti-aircraft batteries and radars in the streets. The federal government seeks to boost militia ranks, done by the old and young, housewives and students.
Guaido, who launched a campaign a year ago to end two decades of socialist rule, on Saturday ask the armed forces to abandon Maduro’s failed leadership and help him reconstruct a fresh Venezuela. His previous attracts the military to improve sides have fallen short.
“We are with you,” he said, lamenting the health of what he called “malnourished soldiers” in Venezuela’s once-proud military. A comparatively small number of Venezuelan troops have defected previously year.
Guaido spoke a day after Maduro threatened the opposition leader with jail.
“The simple truth is that the risk isn't only for Juan Guaido,” the opposition leader said of himself, noting a set of jailed politicians and political allies. “But for everyone.”
Guaido the other day returned from a three-week international tour targeted at increasing support for overthrowing Maduro. At a White House meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed his support for Guaido, calling him Venezuela’s legitimate president and Maduro a “tyrant.”
Source: the-japan-news.com