Deployment near Venezuelan coast comes amid rising regional tensions.

On Friday, the Trinidadian Foreign Affairs Ministry announced that U.S. troops will arrive in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend to conduct military exercises over several days.

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This small Caribbean nation lies very close to Venezuela, with the island of Trinidad located just 7 miles from the Venezuelan coast at its nearest point.

The first troops are scheduled to arrive on Sunday in Port of Spain, the Trinidadian capital, aboard the destroyer USS Gravely, which will later be followed by the U.S. Marine Corps’ 22nd Expeditionary Unit.

The USS Gravely will carry out joint training exercises with the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force and is set to depart on Oct. 30.

“These efforts strengthen interoperability, reinforce long-term defense cooperation, and enhance operational readiness among allied forces. The presence of U.S. military forces in Trinidad and Tobago highlights the United States’ commitment to regional security and cooperation,” Trinidadian authorities said.

In the coming days, the U.S. Marine Corps will conduct military exercises with Trinidad and Tobago off the Venezuelan coast.

In recent months, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of seeking to promote political destabilization operations against the Bolivarian revolution.

So far, the United States has deployed warships, a submarine, and fighter jets to the Caribbean Sea to allegedly conduct counter-narcotics operations. These actions have resulted in 37 deaths in nine bombings targeting small motorboats said to be transporting drugs.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

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