CARACAS: Venezuela´s armed forces reaffirmed their support Friday for President Nicolas Maduro a day after the US Justice Department charged him with “narco-terrorism” and offered a $15 million reward for his capture.
In a statement read out on state television, armed forces chief Admiral Remigio Ceballos said the army categorically rejected “the extravagant and extremist accusations” against Maduro. The socialist president has increasingly relied on the backing of the powerful armed forces since succeeding his late mentor Hugo Chavez in 2013 — particularly amid his country´s economic collapse.
In his statement, Ceballos said the indictment of Maduro and other Venezuelan officials was aimed at diverting attention away from the re-election campaign of US President Donald Trump “who will go down in history as the most harmful and most irrational of American presidents.”
Maduro on Thursday slammed the “spurious, false” accusations, and said they were part of a conspiracy organized by the United States and Colombia to force him out of power.
The Trump administration has stepped up pressure on Maduro with sanctions targeting his inner circle. The US and some 50 other countries back opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country´s interim president.
Russian Marines standing on top of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan , part of the Russian naval detachment...
IS Vice President Kamala Harris with Ukraine's president Zelenskiy at a peace summit in Switzerland. — Reuters...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses with other world leaders for a photograph during a peace summit near...
Kenyan troops have been fighting off the threat from Somalia-based Shabaab militants since the year 2000. — AFP...
China's Premier Li Qiang waves as he arrives at Adelaide Airport on June 15, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia. —...
The UK's royal family appears on the Buckingham Palace balcony. — ReutersLONDON:- Kate, Britain’s Princess of...