US Deploys Over 900 Troops for Venezuela Earthquake Relief

The United States has deployed more than 900 military personnel inside Venezuela and an additional 800 in Caribbean hubs to lead a large-scale humanitarian mission following devastating earthquakes that struck the country on June 24. The operation, coordinated with Venezuelan interim authorities, marks a dramatic shift in a relationship defined just six months ago by a U.S. military raid that captured the nation's former president.

U.S. forces are assisting with search-and-rescue operations, logistics, and the distribution of humanitarian aid. Military engineers have repaired and reopened Caracas's Simón Bolívar International Airport to facilitate the arrival of international relief. The U.S. military is utilizing Air Force C-17 and C-130 cargo aircraft, Marine Corps helicopters, and the amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale, which is docked at the port of La Guaira. The U.S. government has committed more than $300 million in humanitarian assistance for the effort.

General Francis Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, described the mission as logistics-heavy, focused on ensuring aid reaches affected areas efficiently. He said U.S. forces have deployed at...