Amid the United States attacking ships allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific, President Donald Trump said Monday he was okay with launching strikes in Mexico to stop drugs.
Trump made the comments in the Oval Office of the White House while answering a question about a possible drug operation in Mexico.
“Would I go on strike in Mexico to stop drugs? I don’t mind. Whatever we have to do to stop drugs,” the president remarked.
But Trump was quick to clarify that he didn’t say he was doing that (initiating strikes). “I’d be proud to do it. Because we’re going to save millions of lives.”
Trump to speak with Nicolas Maduro
Meanwhile, the president said he would also speak with Nicolas Maduro, adding that the Venezuelan president “has not been good to the United States.”
The remark takes on significance amid a military buildup in Washington that is raising tensions as the US aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford has been deployed to the Caribbean to deal with drug traffickers based in Latin American countries.
Trump also did not rule out the deployment of US troops on the ground in Venezuela. “No, I’m not ruling it out, I’m not ruling anything out.”
“We just have to take care of Venezuela,” he added. “They threw hundreds of thousands of people out of prison into our country.”
Ready to talk ‘face to face’
On a weekly television show, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said he was ready to talk “face to face” with anyone in the United States “who wants to talk to Venezuela.”
Washington has accused Maduro of running a “terrorist” drug cartel, which he has denied.
While Venezuela has accused Washington of seeking regime change in Caracas with a military build-up.
Washington has significantly increased its military presence in the Caribbean since August, including half a dozen warships.
So far, the US has carried out over 20 strikes.
Six people were killed last month, while three people died in raids by US forces on alleged drug-running boats earlier this week, bringing the total number of victims of the campaign to 83.
Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, called for an investigation into the strikes.
Türk believes that the United States’ airstrikes on ships in the Caribbean and the Pacific violate international human rights law.
The Trump administration has insisted that the build-up of US forces in the region is aimed at stopping the flow of drugs into the US.
