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
Japan should earnestly fulfill its nuclear safety responsibilities and put itself under international supervision to alleviate the concerns of the international community, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
He made the remarks in response to a media query about leakage of water containing radioactive substances at the decommissioning site of the nuclear reactor Fugen in Fukui Prefecture in central Japan on Tuesday, raising the possibility that several workers may have been exposed to radiation.
"This incident has once again exposed serious flaws in Japan's nuclear facility operations, operational maintenance capabilities, and nuclear safety oversight. For some time now, a series of nuclear facility safety incidents in Japan have raised concern, including fraud of quality inspection data for radiation detectors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and an overflow accident involving spent fuel pool cooling water at the reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture. Against the backdrop of various problems such as aging nuclear facilities, chaotic management, and inadequate regulation, Japan has still decided to restart the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, which previously experienced a spent fuel pool cooling water overflow incident. This has already sparked opposition and protests among the Japanese public," said Lin.
"China urges Japan to fully draw lessons from the Fukushima nuclear accident, earnestly fulfill its nuclear safety responsibilities, promptly provide information and take effective measures, properly handle the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the disposal of radioactive waste, and voluntarily accept international oversight so as to reduce concerns in the international community. This incident further demonstrates that the international community needs to continue strengthening comprehensive oversight and monitoring of the management of Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water discharge into the sea and the operation of related equipment, in order to safeguard the safety of the marine environment," he said.
Japan should accept int'l supervision on nuclear safety: spokesman
