 "US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to Visit Dominican Republic amid Venezuela tensions")
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit the Dominican Republic on Wednesday for talks on combating drug trafficking, officials confirmed. The visit underscores Washington’s ongoing pressure on Venezuela, whose leader Nicolas Maduro has been accused by the United States of running a drug cartel.
Hegseth is scheduled to meet Dominican President Luis Abinader, the defence minister, and other cabinet members “to strengthen defence relationships and reaffirm America’s commitment to defend the homeland, protect our regional partners and ensure stability and security across the Americas,” his office said on Tuesday.
Venezuela-US tensions escalate
The announcement comes a day after the United States designated the alleged Venezuelan drug cartel Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organisation, giving the administration legal grounds for further action against Venezuelan authorities.
In response, the Venezuelan government organised an anti-US march in Caracas on Tuesday. Maduro addressed the rally holding Simon Bolivar’s “Sword of Peru”, urging national unity and stating, “There is no excuse for anyone, whether civilian, politician, military or police officer. Failure is not an option! The nation demands our greatest effort and sacrifice.”
Washington has increased military pressure on Caracas, deploying the world’s largest aircraft carrier alongside several warships. Caracas claims that the US uses its anti-drug operations as a pretext to destabilise Maduro’s government. Candido Miquilarena, a community leader at the Caracas march, said, “They always invent a scenario, like the scenario they invented with (Saddam) Hussein, with (Muammar) Gaddafi, to destroy these people, these countries.”
Since September, US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have left dozens dead. The Dominican Republic has cooperated in these operations, seizing about 500 kilograms of cocaine in a joint action with US forces earlier this month. President Abinader said, “We continue working with the United States because this is a tough fight, especially in some countries, mainly in South America, that have seen an increase in drug production, particularly cocaine.”
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