WASHINGTON – The Trump administration has built up a fleet of warships near Venezuela , including the largest U.S. aircraft carrier , as American forces keep blowing up small boats accused of smuggling narcotics for drug cartels.

The expanded U.S. military presence, the largest in Latin America in decades, is fueling speculation about how the forces could be employed. President Donald Trump has said that land attacks are coming soon, without offering any details on location.

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has insisted the real purpose of the U.S. military operations is to force him from office.

The Trump administration says the military has killed at least 87 people in 22 known strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September.

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