Venezuela conducts military exercises, citing US threat

Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela

Soldiers rolled out shoulder-fired missiles, fighter planes and armored trucks Saturday for the first of 10 days of military exercises that the president of socialist-governed Venezuela says are needed to protect against a looming threat from the U.S.

As nearly 100,000 members of the armed forces began conducting exercises across the country, Venezuela’s government also drew support from South American nations, which criticized the U.S. for the way it imposed sanctions on some Venezuelan leaders.

The U.S. imposed the sanctions last week on several Venezuelan officials accused of human-rights violations and declared the country a threat, a formality that generally precedes declarations of sanctions. President Nicolas Maduro has said he will take steps to protect Venezuela from a hostile U.S. government.