The Pentagon said that the decision by Pete Hegseth to widen the patrols was made on Oct. 29, just before a landslide defeat for Republicans in the midterm elections.
The National Guard deployment in Washington reached a high of 5,148 troops in July, as part of a surge of military forces ordered for the country’s 250th anniversary.
Russia was linked to influence campaigns targeting Democrats that gained little traction, but the Kremlin may be more focused on France’s elections in the spring.
Red Square in Moscow in September. Current and former U.S. officials said they were unsure why Russia and Iran both appeared to engage in less meddling than in years past, including the 2024 election.
The attack on a drug-trafficking group killed about two dozen people, a rights group said. It comes as the United States is militarizing the fight against “narcoterrorism” in Latin America.
The two countries have long been adversaries, and the United States attacked Venezuela this year, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio is starting talks on a legal agreement.
Caracas, Venezuela, earlier this year. Venezuela’s Caribbean coastline and land borders with Colombia, Brazil and Guyana make it an attractive location for potential U.S. troop deployments.
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