Venezuela is offering military training for civilians in response to constant threats posed by the US naval forces near the waters of the Caribbean nation.
A month ago, Washington deployed 6 warships to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, backed by the latest F-35 fighters sent to Puerto Rico in what it calls an anti-drug and anti-terrorism operation.
The defence minister, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, has alleged that Washington was waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean after the US Navy struck three boats allegedly belonging to a drug cartel. President Maduro has also accused Washington of plotting a coup against his government, which he believes is aimed at stealing the massive oil reserves of the country.
On Saturday, when the training was being given to the volunteers, Venezuelans expressed solidarity with Maduro in an upbeat tone and said, "We are not afraid of anything and no one." Last week, Maduro had ordered his troops to go into neighbourhoods and provide basic arms training to the civilians in every neighbourhood.
Also Read: Venezuela deploys 15,000 troops to Colombian border
Maduro met with rural workers in the Aragua region on Saturday, calling on "millions" to "be prepared to take up arms and defend the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela if it were attacked by the American empire."
Venezuelan trainees believe that the US was trying to wage a war against Caracas only for precious minerals that are found in abundance in the country along with petroleum products. The defence minister said, "Today is a milestone we are marking in the military revolution that we are all writing, the people and the Armed Forces together. It is a true military revolution.”
Venezuela also launched three-day war games on its Caribbean island of La Orchila in response to the perceived threat from a US flotilla of seven ships and a nuclear-powered submarine.
Also Read: US Navy strikes 2nd narco-terror boat near Venezuela
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