Caracas: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the launch of military drills codenamed the “Great Corridor of the Venezuelan Plain” as part of the “Independence 200” operation to strengthen national defence amid perceived US military threats.

The exercises, which started early Saturday and cover the central states of Barinas, Portuguesa, Cojedes and Guarico, are part of a nationwide mobilisation aimed at enhancing the country’s preparedness against potential external attacks, reports Xinhua news agency.

“All the integral defence zones across the country are now active and operational,” Maduro said in a message posted on social media on Saturday (local time). “We have completed all the zones with 27 fundamental defence tasks.”

The President highlighted coordination among civilia

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