The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Via RT…
Two Venezuelan soldiers loyal to self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaidó have pleaded with the Trump administration for arms, in a bid to “realize Venezuelan freedom.” What could go wrong?
The former soldiers, living outside Venezuela, told CNN that hundreds of willing defectors inside the country had been in contact with them, asking the US for weapons and support for a planned revolt.
“As Venezuelan soldiers, we are making a request to the US to support us, in logistical terms, with communication, with weapons, so we can realize Venezuelan freedom,” Guillen Martinez told CNN. Martinez’ fellow soldier Hidalgo Azuaje added that the pair are also requesting support from Venezuela’s right-wing neighbors: “Brazil, Colombia, Peru, all brother countries, that are against this dictatorship.”
The soldiers told the network that various groups of disgruntled units have been talking and organizing via WhatsApp, apparently waiting for the right time to “rise up in arms” against Maduro.
The soldiers stopped short of calling for a US invasion. “We do not want a foreign government [to] invade our country,” Azuaje said. “If we need an incursion, it has to be by Venezuelan soldiers who really want to free Venezuela.”
Picking sides in another country’s war has historically led to catastrophe for the United States. The Mujahideen who fought the Soviets in 1980s Afghanistan turned their US-supplied weapons on American troops two decades later. More recently, US-armed “moderate rebels” in Syria would end up funneling their weapons to terrorist groups, and uniting with the very same hardcore Jihadists the US purports to fight.
Naturally, some commentators were skeptical about the CNN report.
Rania Khalek on Twitter: “How long before the Trump administration starts arming the “moderate rebels” of the Free Venezuelan Army? If this follows the usual US script, expect a civil war, all so the US can have their oil https://t.co/ezsg2UPmQb / Twitter”
How long before the Trump administration starts arming the “moderate rebels” of the Free Venezuelan Army? If this follows the usual US script, expect a civil war, all so the US can have their oil https://t.co/ezsg2UPmQb
Ben Norton on Twitter: “I was not exaggerating when I said the US is trying to do to Venezuela what it did to Syria:The US has been encouraging Venezuelan soldiers to wage war against the state. Some now want Trump to give them weapons.These will be Trump’s “moderate rebels”https://t.co/2czqRi12yC / Twitter”
I was not exaggerating when I said the US is trying to do to Venezuela what it did to Syria:The US has been encouraging Venezuelan soldiers to wage war against the state. Some now want Trump to give them weapons.These will be Trump’s “moderate rebels”https://t.co/2czqRi12yC
https://twitter.com/sbobkov/status/1090363360246284288
Amid the ongoing political turmoil in Venezuela, both Maduro’s government and Guaidó have sought to woo the military to their side. The protests that accompanied Guaidó’s declaration last week kicked off when a National Guard unit in Caracas staged a mutiny.
The rebellious soldiers were arrested, and Maduro has since been keen to demonstrate that the military is unflinchingly loyal to him, inspecting and training with troops in a series of Twitter videos posted this week.
Nicolás Maduro on Twitter: “Junto al Estado Mayor Superior, y los hombres y mujeres de nuestra gloriosa y digna #FANB, nos preparamos para la defensa integral de la Patria. ¡Rumbo al Bicentenario de Angostura! pic.twitter.com/xdNhWKAVEq / Twitter”
Junto al Estado Mayor Superior, y los hombres y mujeres de nuestra gloriosa y digna #FANB, nos preparamos para la defensa integral de la Patria. ¡Rumbo al Bicentenario de Angostura! pic.twitter.com/xdNhWKAVEq
Guaidó, meanwhile, has tried to sway the military with a promise of amnesty to soldiers and officers willing to break ranks with Maduro. The military envoy to the US has also refused orders to return home, and called on his “brothers in the armed forces of the nation to recognize President Juan Guaidó as the only legitimate president.” Few, however, have heeded the call.
The US has done everything short of shipping weapons to support Guaidó’s parallel government. President Trump was among the first world leaders to officially recognize Guaidó’s self-declared presidency, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo immediately promised Guaidó $20 million in humanitarian aid.
The US gave Guaidó another boost on Tuesday, when Pompeo authorized the opposition leader to take control of Venezuelan assets held in US banks. One day earlier, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced the US would seize all assets of Venezuela’s oil company PDVSA, and channel them into accounts that would be accessible only by Guaidó or a new government which the US approves of.
National Security Advisor John Bolton also threatened “serious consequences” if Maduro’s government harms Guaidó.
Whether the US will arm the opposition in Venezuela remains unknown. “The president has made it clear that all options are on the table,” Bolton told reporters on Monday. Maduro has refused to heed international calls for fresh elections, but has said that he is willing to enter into talks with Guaidó.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
This sounds like fake news, spread on purpose by CNN, the mother of all media lies. TASS has news quite to the contrary: The Venezuelan Army is loyal to President Nicolas Maduro. TASS: CARACAS, January 30. /TASS/. Nicolas Maduro is Venezuela’s only legitimate president, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Wednesday speaking to the troops. “Today, we reaffirm here our loyalty to the Motherland, to our revolutionary democratic principles and to our constitution and our president. There is only one legitimate president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. He is Nicolas Maduro Moros, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Bolivarian… Read more »
TELESUR:
The Army of Venezuela is mobilizing to be ready for a possible invasion of mercenaries or regular US troops. General Lopez is swearing that the Venezuelan Army will protect President Nicolas Maduro. Traitors won’t stay alive.
CNN doesn’t care about truth at all. I saw events live with my own eyes and have been reported differently by CNN. The southfront article is interesting showing how FAN is old uniform and FANB is current. Of course with money, dissidents can be paid to do something like this. The US is repeatedly violating all international laws and human decency with these regime changes, color revolutions, and interventions. They are busy manufacturing consent. Disgusting behavior.
Good call, all I was going to post is “I don’t believe it”.
It’s remarkable what money will do, eh? And the US government has got to the point where it can never hope to repay its debts – so, like all hopeless debtors, it will plunge ahead spending more and more and more.
“Apres moi le deluge”.
US DEBT… hence the coup at the largest oil reserves! They need it like the FRS needs ink to ∞ money printing (aka QQE).
That’s funny CIA creating ISIS Latino/Christian version!
How much did those liar-losers get Zio-paid?? Look at how young and easily misled they are.
Actually, they were fake soldiers wearing fake uniforms on fake television. Their uniforms have not been used by Venezuela military for several years.
I noticed their uniforms have “FAN” written on instead of the current “FANB” (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana)
Lots of fake pictures and photo montage, when CNN and other fake news outlets publish some crap about Venezuela, Syria, Iran, North Korea …
Definitely, FAKE NEWS!
Fake soldier on right: NO NAME!
A coup and theft of oil money….more criminal acts by the US NEOCONS and Israel. Trump won’t stand a chance of being reelected when he doesn’t get us out of Syria, Afghanistan and is behind yet another coup….war crimes….by the NEOCONS and Israel