US special operations helicopters training near Venezuela

The US Army Special Operations Forces elite aviation unit has reportedly conducted recent flights in the Caribbean sea less than 90 miles off the Venezuelan coast. This was revealed by a visual analysis by The Washington Post.

A U.S. official who spoke to the news outlet explained that the helicopters were involved in training exercises. In addition, it was learned that the operations could serve as preparation for an expanded fight against drug traffickers, including potentially missions on Venezuelan soil.

"Visuals that circulated on social media in early October appeared to show MH-6 Little Bird attack helicopters and MH-60 Black Hawks over open water near oil and gas platforms. A visual analysis of the platforms and visible terrain indicates the helicopters were flying off Trinidad’s northeast coast, bringing them within 90 miles of several points along Venezuela’s coastline," detailed The Post.

Another official said the helicopters conducted training flights to maintain their efficiency and provide options for President Donald Trump and the Pentagon in counter-narcotics operations in the region.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, noted that the aircraft are likely to be operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

"The unit flies missions for commandos like Navy SEALs, Green Berets and Delta Force, and has gained renown for undertaking complex and dangerous operations such as the raid to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan," the Washington Post reported.

When asked about the operations, the Pentagon did not respond: "The Department will not respond to speculation about military operations based on analysis by ‘experts'," Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said.

The information was made public just after President Donald Trump acknowledged to the media on Wednesday that he gave the green light to operations by the CIA in Venezuela, a few hours after U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea, near the Venezuelan coast.

"I authorized it for two reasons, really. Number one, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America. They came in through the, well, they came in through the border. They came in because we had an open border policy (...) And the other thing is drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela. And a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that. But we're going to stop them by land also," President Trump said when asked by reporters.

Recent operations against drug trafficking

The situation comes the same week in which Trump reported that the Pentagon succeeded in destroying a drug boat off the Venezuelan coast through an airstrike.

Through a statement on Truth Social - which he accompanied with a video of the attack -, Trump confirmed that six "narcoterrorists" were killed.

With this latest attack, the Trump Administration has carried out at least five military operations - with similar characteristics - against drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks.