Venezuela prepared for 'armed struggle' as president mobilizes 2.5M troops

BOGOTA, Colombia

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Monday that his country is prepared for “armed struggle” if it is attacked by the US.

"Today, Venezuela has more national power, is more united, and is more prepared to preserve its independence and build peace under any circumstances should we have to resort to armed struggle," he said.

Maduro announced that he was mobilizing his nation's militias, claiming that 2.5 million military personnel and militiamen have been deployed in defense of Venezuela.

Last month, he announced that he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to "outlandish threats" by the US.

He assured that the US is trying to provoke a military conflict to justify an invasion.

"What they were looking for was a military incident," he said. "We have not fallen for provocations, nor will we fall for them."

Maduro also claimed that the narrative of drug trafficking is a smokescreen.

"Everyone knows that the story of drugs and drug trafficking is a plot," he said. "That's the argument. They want regime change to seize the country's wealth...to control the country's oil reserves."

He warned that filling the Caribbean with "gunpowder and missiles" could lead to a massive war.

"The United States and the entire world...know that this is a military operation to intimidate and seek regime change, to destabilize Venezuela...and to seize and steal our oil, gas, iron and gold."

Maduro's remarks came just hours before news broke that the US military carried out a strike on a boat that was allegedly transporting narcotics from Venezuela, killing three people, following an initial Sept. 2 attack on a boat that killed 11.

According to Maduro, relations between Venezuela and the US are "completely broken" amid escalating tensions following the deployment of US naval forces.

"Communications with the US government existed on two channels and were damaged at the time," he said. "Today I can announce that communications have been destroyed by them, with their bomb threats, death threats and blackmail."

He also referred to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the "lord of death and war."

Tensions have been mounting between the two nations, which have not had formal diplomatic relations since 2019, especially since the White House designated the “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns) as a terrorist organization in July. The US accuses the alleged narco-criminal group of having ties to the Venezuelan government.

The US is also seeking a $50 million reward for Maduro's arrest and has deployed numerous warships to the Caribbean in recent weeks as part of its anti-drug operation.