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'They are fabricating a war': Maduro slams US after 'peacemaker' Trump says 'we’re just gonna kill'

'They are fabricating a war': Maduro slams US after 'peacemaker' Trump says 'we’re just gonna kill'

US President Donald Trump, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP)

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Venezuela’s President Maduro accused the US of “manufacturing a war” after Trump sent an aircraft carrier to the Caribbean for anti-drug operations. Maduro's warning of escalation comes as Trump said he won’t seek Congress's approval before striking suspected smugglers.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday accused the United States of "manufacturing a war" after US President Donald Trump deployed an aircraft carrier to the Caribbean, escalating tensions in the region. The move, described by the Pentagon as part of a mission to counter drug trafficking, has been widely interpreted in Caracas as a show of force aimed at Venezuela. "They are fabricating a new, endless war," Maduro alleged in a televised address. This comes as Trump on Thursday (Oct 23) issued a blunt comment on US plans to strike drug smugglers in Venezuela, saying, "we're just gonna kill." Talking to reporters, Trump revealed that he was not planning to ask Congress for a declaration of war before ordering strikes on suspected drug smugglers in Venezuela.

Venezuela's president slams the Trump administration

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In his televised address, Maduro, slamming Washington, said that the US "promised they would never again get involved in a war," but that now the nation was "fabricating a war that we are going to prevent."

The US military buildup began earlier this year, when President Donald Trump ordered a campaign against what he called "narco-terrorists" in Latin America. The operation, as per AFP, involves an aircraft carrier strike group, eight Navy ships, and several F-35 stealth fighter jets. US officials say the goal is to disrupt drug-smuggling routes. But strikes on at least ten vessels—described by Washington as smugglers’ boats—have already left more than 40 people dead, many of whom local governments and families insist were civilians, mostly fishermen.

The deployment, however, is expanding. On Thursday, Washington announced joint naval exercises with Trinidad and Tobago, just off Venezuela’s coast. The USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, will dock in Port of Spain between October 26 and 30 while US Marines train with local forces.

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We're just going to kill: Trump

Previously, on Thursday, President Trump said that he was not seeking congressional approval for future strikes in the region. "I don’t think we’re gonna necessarily ask for a declaration of war," he said. "I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re gonna to kill them. They’re going to be, like, dead."

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Moohita Kaur Garg

Moohita Kaur Garg is a journalist and Senior Sub-Editor at WION News with five years of experience covering the volatile intersections of geopolitics and global security. She has e...Read More