US military holds survival drills in Panama jungle amid tensions with Venezuela

Washington [US], October 23: The US military conducted survival and jungle combat exercises on Panama's Caribbean coast on October 22, as Washington increased its naval presence off the coast of Venezuela.
Under the scorching sun, a unit of US Marines practiced storming an underground bunker at the former US military base Fort Sherman, located near the Atlantic gateway to the Panama Canal, according to AFP on October 23.
The former base is now used as a survival training ground for US Marines and Panamanian police under a bilateral cooperation program launched in August.
According to Panama, about 50 US Marines conducted training in the country's jungle from October 9 to 29 to improve their combat capabilities "in one of the harshest environments in the world".
"The training focuses on our defense and protection capabilities," aimed at dealing with "'organized crime and drug trafficking," AFP quoted Panamanian Major Didier Santamaria as saying.
Meanwhile, US Colonel Ada Cotto said a similar training course in August focused only on survival skills, and the ongoing exercise is intended to supplement jungle tactics and tracking skills.
The mission's goal is to learn knowledge and build bilateral relationships that can be shared between the two countries, according to Colonel Cotto.
The exercise comes amid tensions between the US and Venezuela, with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accusing Washington of plotting to overthrow him.
To date, the US has deployed several warships and thousands of troops to the Caribbean.
However, Colonel Cotto denied any link between US military exercises in Panama and plans for a ground intervention in Venezuela.
"We are not prepared for anything," Colonel Cotto said when asked if the jungle training was related to the crisis in Venezuela.
"Everything was transparent and carried out at the invitation of the Panamanian government," according to the US colonel.
The bilateral cooperation program between the US military and Panamanian police was signed in the context of Panama facing pressure from US President Donald Trump. The White House owner warned that he could control the Panama Canal and did not rule out the use of force.
In another development, a war of words has intensified between US President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro over the South American country's war on drugs.
On October 22, Mr. Trump called Mr. Petro a "thug" and implied that his opponent was a "drug lord," while Mr. Petro warned that he could file a lawsuit against the slanderous accusations from the US side.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper