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US B-1B bombers fly off coast of Venezuela: flight tracking data / Photo: Pontus LUNDAHL - TT News Agency/AFP/File
US B-1B bombers fly off coast of Venezuela: flight tracking data
A pair of B-1B bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela on Monday, flight tracking data showed, in the third such show of force by US military aircraft in recent weeks.
The flight of the long-range supersonic bombers comes as Washington carries out a military campaign against alleged drug traffickers in the region, deploying forces that have sparked fears in Caracas that regime change is the ultimate goal.
Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers -- which took off from a base in the northern US state of North Dakota -- flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast before disappearing from view.
That followed another flight near Venezuela by at least one B-1B last week, and another by multiple B-52 bombers the week before.
The United States has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to Latin America, has deployed 10 F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico and currently has seven US Navy ships in the Caribbean as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts.
Washington's forces have carried out strikes on at least 10 alleged drug-smuggling vessels -- nine boats and a semi-submersible -- since early September, killing at least 43 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures.
But the United States has yet to release evidence that the vessels it has targeted were used to smuggle drugs.
Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign and the accompanying military buildup, with Venezuela accusing the United States of plotting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, who has accused Washington of "fabricating a war."
M.Dodaro--INP
