US Navy to Deploy Hospital Ship in Response to Venezuela Crisis - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Navy hospital ship Comfort will deploy next month to the Western Hemisphere to provide support for regional countries in response of the crisis in Venezuela, US Southern Command (SOCOM) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sputnik

“During a five-month humanitarian mission, US military and medical personnel will work alongside partners to provide medical assistance to communities based on needs identified by host-nation health ministries, and help relieve pressure on host nation medical systems in countries hosting Venezuelans who have fled the country's crisis”, the statement said.

READ MORE: Guaido Has No Political or Socially Holistic Project for Venezuela — Analyst

SOCOM did not specify which countries the Comfort would visit but said details would be announced at a later time. However, SOCOM did say the hospital ship would be deployed to the Caribbean, Central America and South America to conduct humanitarian medical assistance missions.

Venezuela Prosecutor General Says 5 Killed Amid Protests After Coup Attempt
"Comfort represents our enduring promise to our partners in the Western Hemisphere — our shared neighborhood", SOCOM commander Navy Admiral Craig Faller said in the statement.

The deployment will be Comfort's seventh visit to the Western Hemisphere, as well as the second such trip in the last six months, SOCOM noted.

"Comfort's operation is part of the deepening of our engagement in the region under the health pillar of the US-Caribbean 2020 Strategy", it added.

READ MORE: Maduro Calls on Army to be Ready to Defend Venezuela From US Attack − Report

Maduro Calls on Army to be Ready to Defend Venezuela From US Attack − Report
Venezuela has been suffering from severe political crisis since late January, when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro from power.

The United States and other countries have endorsed Guaido, calling on Maduro to step down and for new election to be held. Russia, China, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other states have voiced their support for constitutionally-elected Maduro as Venezuela's only legitimate president.

READ MORE: Trump Contradicts Pompeo and Bolton's Venezuela Claims After Call With Putin

Discuss