The United States has deployed additional special-operations aircraft and personnel into the Caribbean area to ramp up pressure on Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
At least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, which are used by special-operations forces, flew into the region Monday night from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, said the U.S. newspaper, citing a U.S. official.
Flight-tracking data also showed that C-17 cargo aircraft from Fort Stewart and Fort Campbell Army bases arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday. Another U.S. official confirmed that military personnel and equipment were transported on planes, said the report.
It's unclear what types of troops and equipment the aircraft were transporting, but these military bases are home to multiple U.S. special-operations forces, it said.
For almost four months, the U.S. has maintained a heavy military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as a thinly veiled attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.
The Pentagon has sunk more than 28 alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September, killing at least 104 people aboard.
U.S. President Donald Trump told NBC News in a phone interview released on Friday that he does not rule out the possibility of a war with Venezuela.
US deploys additional special-operations aircraft, personnel to Caribbean: report
