Вашингтон, 10 ноября (EFE).- По сообщению телекомпании ABC в понедельник, Министерство обороны США начало отправлять сухопутные войска на учения в джунгли Панамы, впервые за десятилетия. По словам представителя Пентагона, Вашингтон направил солдат и морпехов США для прохождения программы обучения на военно-морской базе Кристобаль Колон. Хотя на данный время программа имеет относительно небольшой масштаб, ожидается, что она будет расширена в 2026 году. Курс, начавшийся в начале этого года, не направлен на подготовку войск к возможной миссии в Венесуэле, уточнил представитель ABC. Это будет первый раз за более чем два десятилетия, когда армия США отправляет регулярные войска на учения в панамские джунгли. Командование США в Карибском бассейне и на Тихом океане, расположенное вблизи берегов Венесуэлы и Колумбии, в рамках кампании по борьбе с наркотрафиком resulted in two dozen attacks on boats allegedly carrying drugs and the deaths of more than 70 'narcoterrorists,' according to Washington. Renewed US interest in Panama is likely due to practical reasons, but it could also be used to send a message to the region, insisted retired US Marine Corps Colonel Steve Ganyard. 'From a practical point of view, it is easier to get to Panama than to Okinawa. That said, a message is undoubtedly being sent to (Venezuelan President Nicolás) Maduro by conducting combat training on his territory,' he told ABC. Shortly after his return to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump expressed interest in Latin America and even stated his intention to regain control over the Panama Canal, allegedly to counter China's 'malign influence' on the interoceanic passage. More recently, Trump has doubled down on his rhetoric against the Venezuelan and Colombian leaders, Nicolás Maduro and Gustavo Petro, whom he accuses of leading drug trafficking networks, a claim rejected by both Caracas and Bogotá. Last August, the Pentagon had already established a joint training program with the Panamanian Army in the jungle. 'If one can train and fight in one of the most difficult and challenging places in the world, it creates a truly lethal and effective force,' the official told ABC, adding that the US War Department plans to send platoons of up to 40 soldiers at a time. After public differences over the Panama Canal, Trump sent a letter to his Panamanian counterpart, José Raúl Mulino, in early November, in which he described the Central American country as a 'staunch friend and valuable ally' of Washington. In this context, agreements were signed in the field of security that provided for a greater temporary and rotational presence of the US military in Panama as part of bilateral cooperation for the defense of the Canal. Several Panamanian sectors have criticized these pacts as a violation of sovereignty and the Neutrality Treaty that governs the waterway, a claim flatly denied by the Mulino government. Фото EFE. The entry 'Not aimed at attacking Venezuela: Pentagon sends troops to train in Panama' was first published in La Verdad Panamá. And the jungles of Central and South America present their own challenges, as reported on November 4, about joint training between US and Panamanian troops focused on preparing soldiers 'to survive and thrive in jungle environments.' This move coincides with the broad military deployment of the US.
