America has continued its military presence off Venezuela after abducting Nicolas Maduro
US military operations in the Caribbean, including the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, have cost American taxpayers nearly $3 billion and counting, according to Bloomberg.
The US Navy has maintained a presence off Venezuela on the pretext of a power transition after President Donald Trump ordered the kidnapping of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in early January. Both are currently in US custody in New York, facing federal charges of narcoterrorism, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses, which they deny.
The US military – which has been deployed across the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific since August in what was initially called a counternarcotics mission – has enforced a partial blockade to ensure compliance from Venezuela’s remaining authorities. President Donald Trump has openly said the US will “run the country” until a “judicious transition” of power is completed.
The White House claimed that the Venezuela operation did not cost taxpayers extra because the forces involved were already deployed, but Bloomberg calculations based on the Navy’s daily expenses show operational costs for dozens of ships, fighter jets, drones, and logistics vessels peaked at more than $20 million a day from mid-November to mid-January, reportedly pushing the total to over $2.9 billion since deployment began.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: rt.com
