US orders amphibious squadron to deploy to southern Caribbean -sources

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States has ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump's effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the deployment said on Wednesday.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the USS San Antonio, USS Iowa Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale could arrive off the coast of Venezuela as early as Sunday. The ships are carrying 4,500 service members, including 2,200 Marines, the sources said.

The sources declined to detail the specific mission of the squadron. But they have said that recent deployments are aimed at addressing threats to U.S. national security from specially designated "narco-terrorist organizations" in the region.

Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central goal of his administration, part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the U.S. southern border.

The Trump administration designated Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel and other drug gangs as well as Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organizations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Idrees Ali; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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