What to know about the U.S. forces sent to South America and the reaction in Venezuela

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The United States is continuing to boost its military forces near Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels.

It follows a U.S. strike on what President Donald Trump said was a drug-carrying boat operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.

The U.S. government has not signaled any planned land incursion from the thousands of personnel being deployed, and analysts and current and former government officials see no possibility of an invasion in Venezuela.

Still, Trump hailed an attack this past week that killed 11 people aboard a boat that had departed Venezuela, a rare instance of U.S. military action in the Americas, and said “Venezuela has been a very bad actor.”

Tensions also have dominated conversa