
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said he could extend anti-drug military operations to Mexico and Colombia, Politico reported Tuesday.
In an interview with Politico at the White House on Monday, Trump declined to rule out putting US troops into Venezuela.
"I don't want to rule in or out. I don't talk about it," Trump said of deploying ground troops. "I don't want to talk to you about military strategy."
In recent months, Washington has deployed around a dozen warships, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, and about 15,000 troops to the Caribbean Sea. The region has not witnessed such a massive US military presence for at least three decades.
READ MORE: Trump says US to start land strikes on drug traffickers in Caribbean 'very soon'
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly denounced Washington's so-called anti-drug operations as attempts to overthrow his government and expand US military influence in Latin America. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the US government of "murder" for killing suspected drug traffickers at sea.
