The US military will transport some 200 tons of humanitarian aid to Colombia to help relieve the crisis in neighboring Venezuela, a US defense official said Friday.

Speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement, the official said the aid would be sent in the coming days, most likely aboard a C-17 transport plane.

In a statement, the Pentagon said the US "remains deeply concerned about the crisis in Venezuela that has consequences for the entire region."

Venezuela is plagued by hyperinflation and major shortages of basic goods, with opposition leader Juan Guaido and President Nicolas Maduro vying for control of the country.

Tensions have risen since the US first sent humanitarian aid to Colombia, only for the Venezuelan authorities to block a bridge to prevent its entry into Venezuela.

President Donald Trump warned Venezuela this week that "all options" are on the table, and demanded that Maduro unblock US aid shipments to the country.

The defense official stressed that any Pentagon involvement in the crisis was purely logistical assistance in bringing aid.

Related Links
All About Oil and Gas News at OilGasDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Oil prices stronger as China, US restart trade talks
Washington DC (UPI) Feb 15, 2019
Crude oil prices rose early Thursday as China and the United States restarted trade talks aimed at reaching accords to end tariffs, and after reports the Chinese economy could be showing signs of resiliency. West Texas Intermediate crude future prices as of 7:56 a.m. EST were 0.9 percent higher to $54.37 per barrel while Brent crude futures rose 1.3 percent to $64.42 per barrel. If the trend continues, it would be crude oil's third consecutive daily gain. However, prices are still lower than this ... read more