The US military announced on Sunday that an aircraft carrier strike group had arrived in the Caribbean, greatly expanding the presence of American forces near Venezuela.
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The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees American forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, had previously said that the USS Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group had entered its area of responsibility.
The strike group includes the most advanced US aircraft carrier, two guided-missile destroyers, and other support vessels and aircraft.
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Since launching the anti-trafficking military campaign in September, US forces have killed at least 80 people accused of ferrying drugs in international waters, according to an Agence France-Presse tally of publicly released figures.