Venezuela blames CIA and Trinidad for trying to ignite military clash

Venezuela on Sunday accused neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago of staging a military provocation with backing from the US Central Intelligence Agency, saying the move was intended to trigger a wider confrontation with Caracas.

Joint military exercises between the US and Trinidad and Tobago are currently underway in the Caribbean, and Venezuela said it had captured a group of mercenaries “with direct information of the American intelligence agency” and whose goal it was to carry out a false-flag attack in the region.

A false flag attack is an operation in which an act is carried out in such a way that a different party appears responsible.

“A false flag attack is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to generate a full military confrontation with our country,” Venezuela’s government said in the statement.

The statement, issued by Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, did not offer further details or evidence of the false flag attack accusations.

Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump confirmed reports that he authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has levied accusations of false flag attacks before, including a plan to plant explosives in the US embassy in Caracas in early October.

The US State Department was not immediately available for comment.

Trump has carried out several strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that the administration claims are trafficking drugs.

The Pentagon escalated its military build-up in the Caribbean this Friday by deploying the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group.