 "Knocked out 'big facility': Trump hints at land strike as Venezuela pressure mounts")
A remark by US President Donald Trump last week has sparked speculation over whether American forces may have carried out their first land strike against drug cartels in Venezuela.
Speaking in an interview broadcast on Friday, Trump said the United States had knocked out a “big facility” used to produce boats for drug trafficking, while outlining his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“They have a big plant or a big facility where they send, you know, where the ships come from,” AFP quoted Trump as saying in an interview with billionaire supporter John Catsimatidis on the WABC radio station in New York.
“Two nights ago we knocked that out. So we hit them very hard,” Trump added.
Trump did not specify the location of the facility or provide further details.
Since September, US forces have conducted multiple strikes in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in more than 100 deaths.
The Pentagon redirected queries on Trump’s remarks to the White House, which did not respond to requests for comment, according to AFP.
There was also no immediate reaction from the Venezuelan government.
Trump has repeatedly said in recent weeks that the United States would “soon” begin carrying out land strikes against drug cartels in Latin America, though no such operations have been officially confirmed so far.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has intensified pressure on Venezuelan President, accusing him of running a drug cartel and imposing a blockade on oil tankers.
Maduro, in turn, has accused Washington of attempting to engineer regime change.
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