The move would allow Washington to target the president\u2019s assets and infrastructure, President Donald Trump claims<\/p>\n
The US plans to designate the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, which it claims is led by President Nicolas Maduro, as a terrorist organization, the State Department has announced. According to a statement, the designation will take effect on November 24.
\nTrump has long accused Maduro of cartel links, calling him a \u201cnarcoterrorist.\u201d Despite Maduro\u2019s denials of the allegations, Washington dispatched a naval armada to the western Caribbean earlier this year, and since September, US forces have hit alleged drug-smuggling vessels near Venezuela. US officials also say Trump is considering strikes on cartel targets inside the country.
\nThe State Department reiterated the claim on Sunday that the Cartel de los Soles is led by the \u201cillegitimate\u201d President Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials.
\nIt added that \u201cneither Maduro nor his cronies represent Venezuela\u2019s legitimate government,\u201d accusing them of corrupting the country\u2019s institutions, directing \u201cterrorist violence throughout our hemisphere,\u201d and trafficking drugs into the US and Europe.<\/p>\n
Read more<\/p>\n
Trump doesn\u2019t rule out talks with Venezuela\u2019s Maduro<\/p>\n
Trump said the designation would allow the US military to target assets of the cartel \u2013 and by extension, Maduro \u2013 and infrastructure in Venezuela. \u201cIt allows us to do that,\u201d Trump told reporters on Sunday.
\nHe added, however, that \u201cwe haven\u2019t said we\u2019re going to do that,\u201d noting that the US \u201cmay be having some discussions with Maduro\u201d first. \u201cThey would like to talk\u2026 we\u2019ll see how that turns out.\u201d
\nTrump did not elaborate on potential talks. It is unclear why he said the designation would allow strikes, as it would not permit attacks without separate authorization.
\nMaduro has dismissed the allegations and the military buildup as an attempt to overthrow him, while urging Trump to negotiate. In September, he sent a letter to the White House in which he said Venezuela has dismantled the drug networks, offering direct talks.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Colombian leader labels Trump \u2018barbarian\u2019 over Caribbean strikes<\/p>\n
Trump did not respond, though the White House claimed that the letter contained \u201ca lot of lies.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The move would allow Washington to target the president\u2019s assets and infrastructure, President Donald Trump claims The US plans to designate the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles, which it claims…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t