Fighting drugs, Marines practise landing manoeuvres in Puerto Rico
The US Southern Command posted a message on X accompanied by a video reporting that the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted training on the island
The Pentagon reported that theMarine Corps conducted landing and infiltration drills, at a time of growing US military presence in theCaribbean and speculation about a possible attack on Venezuela. The US Southern Command posted a message on X accompanied by a video reporting that the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted "training operations in Puerto Rico". The footage shows an amphibious vehicle carrying troops, vehicles, and equipment engaged in an operation supported by several helicopters from which the soldiers practised landings.
"US forces," the post reads, "are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the Southern Command's mission, War Department-led operations, and the US President's priorities to counter the illicit drug trade and protect the homeland.
"US is modernising former naval base in Puerto Rico"
US activism is not limited to exercises. The US military is also modernising a long-abandoned former Cold War naval base, also in Tuerto Rico, suggesting preparations for extended operations against Venezuela, Reuters writes on its website. Construction activity at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico - closed by the Navy more than two decades ago - was underway on 17 September, when teams began clearing and resurfacing the siding leading to the runway, according to photos taken by the agency. Until the Navy's retirement in 2004, Roosevelt Roads was one of the largest US naval stations in the world.
US war law does not apply to raids against narcos
Against this backdrop, the US Justice Department informed Congress that President Donald Trump can continue his raids against alleged drug traffickers in Latin America, and is not bound by the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires parliamentary approval to continue hostile military operations beyond the 60-day deadline. A deadline that expires on Monday 3 November, after the administration informed Congress on 4 September that it had conducted the first attack against an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean two days earlier.
