U.S. Escalates Caribbean Anti-Drug Campaign

The United States has escalated its anti-drug campaign in the Caribbean and off South America by ordering the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group into the region to bolster detection, monitoring and disruption of illicit trafficking. The deployment could add thousands of sailors and squadrons to a theater that already hosts more than 6,000 personnel on eight warships and follows a flurry of strikes on suspected drug-running boats. U.S. strikes have produced casualties — including a reported strike that killed six people — and Washington also announced Treasury sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his wife, son and an associate for allegedly failing to stop cocaine flows, a move Petro denounced. Officials and critics, including former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, have urged the administration to clarify objectives, weigh risks of escalation and secure clear legal and congressional authority before broadening operations. The developments have prompted speculation the campaign could extend to strikes affecting Venezuela or its infrastructure and have provoked international concern and debate over the scope, legality and humanitarian consequences of the stepped-up campaign.