A member of the Community and Civil Councils holds a rifle during a military training on weaponry at Fort Tiuna in Caracas on September 20, 2025. (Photo by Pedro MATTEY / AFP)
September 21, 2025
CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Venezuela on Saturday organised a day of military training for civilians in response to the United States (US) deployment in the Caribbean, and amid new threats from President Donald Trump.
Nearly a month ago, Washington deployed warships to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, backed by F-35 fighters sent to Puerto Rico in what it calls an anti-drug and anti-terrorism operation.
Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez has accused Washington of waging “undeclared war” in the Caribbean, after US strikes killed over a dozen alleged drug traffickers off his country’s coast.
Caracas also accused the United States of seeking regime change and stealing its oil and other resources.
In the crammed Petare neighbourhood of Caracas, the main avenue was shut down for a day of mini-courses about weapons handling and other “revolutionary resistance” tactics.
“I’m here to learn what I need to learn to defend what is really important to me: my country, my homeland, my nation, Venezuela,” said Luzbi Monterola, a 38-year-old office worker.
“I am afraid of nothing and no one.”