The move comes after the US doubles the bounty for Maduro’s arrest to $50m and deploys three warships in the Caribbean.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has pledged to mobilise more than four million militia fighters in response to new United States “threats” after Washington raised a reward for his arrest and launched new antidrug operations in the Caribbean.“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory – militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro said in a televised address on Monday.Venezuela’s militia was created by former President Hugo Chavez and is officially said to have about five million members although analysts suggested the real figure is lower. The country’s total population is about 30 million.Maduro denounced the “extravagant, bizarre and outlandish threats” from Washington. His comments came after US President Donald Trump’s administration doubled its reward for his arrest to $50m. It accuses him of leading a cocaine smuggling network known as the Cartel de los Soles.The US government, which refuses to recognise Maduro’s last two election victories, recently imposed new sanctions on both his administration and the alleged cartel. The US has not provided any evidence linking Maduro to drug cartels.At the same time, the US military has deployed three US guided-missile destroyers to the southern Caribbean as part of a broader operation against Latin American drug cartels.The USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson are expected to arrive off Venezuela’s coast wi …
