The fight between Maduro and the opposition intensifies with the support of the Venezuelan armed forces

Anatoly Kurmanaev and Meridith Kohut collaborated with the report from Ureña, Venezuela.

On Saturday, February 16, the US military began sending humanitarian aid by air to a Colombian town near the border with Venezuela. The goal is to accelerate a plan of aid that has become the pivot of the overthrow of President Nicolás Maduro.

The army used C-17 cargo planes to transport thousands of food supplements and hygiene packs from a base near Miami to Cucuta, the main point of arrival for hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid that the Venezuelan leaders of the opposition – and its international supporters – hope to cross the border.

Maduro, who accused the United States of using humanitarian aid as a weapon, blocked the main roads connecting the two countries close to Cucuta and also put his armed forces on alert to react to what he calls "conspiracies". and provocations "

While Venezuela's crossroads for the future has dragged on for weeks, Maduro and his opponents are fighting for the support of commanders of the armed forces, who have remained loyal to the country's authoritarian leader.

One of the compelling reasons is the huge amount of money that more than 2,000 generals could lose in the absence of Maduro, said Admiral Craig S. Faller, head of US Southern Command, in an interview .

"There are many generals and many leaders in Maduro's illegal payroll through drug trafficking, money laundering and a series of activities in the oil industry," he said. Admiral Faller. "Maduro bought his loyalty."

The US military concluded that more than a thousand Cuban military and intelligence advisers, in collaboration with the Russian government, were needed to keep the highest ranks of the Venezuelan army loyal to Maduro, Faller said.

While ordinary members of the Venezuelan army have endured the hunger and privations that a large part of the population has faced during the worsening humanitarian crisis, a large number of generals and veterans have been killed. Other senior officials of the country have refused so far, support a plan to overthrow Maduro and help opposition leaders to call new elections.

The Venezuelan army has more than twice as many generals and senior officers as the United States, although the latter are considerably larger. Cuba and Russia have criticized the plan to eliminate Maduro from power by saying that it was a coup d'etat put in place by the United States.

The confrontation over Venezuela's future began about a month ago, when the new opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, announced a plan to remove Maduro from power. Since then, the specter of a military confrontation that could lead the United States to participate in the first conflict in the region for decades has appeared.

The Trump government has not ruled out the use of military force in Venezuela, since it has firmly supported Guaidó's badertion that the Constitution gives him the right to act as a interim leader until new elections can be organized.

Meanwhile, over the past few weeks, Maduro has been constantly photographed and filmed surrounded by his troops, with the goal of showing that he was backed by a loyal and lethal force, equally well trained.

As the political blockade continues, officials at Southcom, the Miami-based US command center responsible for operations in Latin America, have drawn up plans for a series of possible missions to Venezuela, according to US officials. United

Among these projects include the evacuation of American diplomats in Caracas, the strengthening of security in the embbady and the acceleration of the distribution plan of humanitarian aid throughout the country, which , until now, prevented Maduro.

Last month, the state department ordered the majority of its employees in Venezuela and their relatives to return home. He left a small team that it might be necessary to withdraw urgently if the situation suddenly deteriorated.

"We are ready to protect the lives of Americans and the diplomatic facility in Venezuela," said Admiral Faller during a series of interviews during a trip to the United States. Brazil, where he spoke of the crisis with senior military officials. "We have several options available to us."

Once the opposition leaders understood that the army was alongside Maduro, after Guaidó declared himself the country's legitimate leader on January 23, they put a plan in place to introduce tens of millions of dollars in food. and drugs in the country.

However, Maduro and his allies have traced the road along an important border crossing with Colombia to prevent trucks from entering the country.

Freddy Bernal, a Maduro supporter recently sent to the border, admitted that the Venezuelan army would be defeated if the United States asked its army to give it back. However, he also warned that this could trigger an armed conflict that would destabilize the region for many years.

"Of course, they can invade us, they are used to killing millions of people in Iraq, Libya, Syria and elsewhere," said Bernal. "They have been helping Syria for seven years and are studying the country's situation."

Bernal said the Venezuelan government would lose an armed conflict against the United States. "But are we ready to die to defend the fatherland? Yes, we are ready."

The Trump government has hinted that it could use force to tip the balance of power in favor of the opposition. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton was recently photographed with a notebook in which he wrote "5000 Soldiers in Colombia". When asked about this, the White House said that "all options are possible".

Admiral Faller said it was premature to say whether US soldiers would be forced to deliver humanitarian aid to Venezuelan soil, a mission that involves considerable risk in a country full of misery. # 39; weapons.

However, he said that the US military had extensive experience in helping people in difficult circumstances and cited as an example some recent natural disasters in Asia.

Rebecca Chavez, Assistant Deputy Secretary of the Department of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs under the Obama administration, said that it was "very likely" that the US military would be involved in the Venezuelan crisis if the balance of power between Maduro and Guaidó continues to intensify.

But he said that "any unilateral military intervention in Venezuela would be a serious mistake". If the US military ends up providing humanitarian aid or participating in a peacekeeping mission, Mr. Chavez said that he should do so as part of a coalition.

The recent election of conservative leaders in major Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Colombia and Chile, makes this more plausible than in previous years. But until now, Colombian and Brazilian officials have expressed many reservations about a military mission to Venezuela.

The possibility of an influx of humanitarian aid has brought hope to many Venezuelans who have struggled to feed their families.

Matilde Sandoval, a 57-year-old shopkeeper living in Ureña, near the border with Colombia, recently attended a demonstration calling for distribution of aid. He had a sign in English saying "Welcome to my country".

Sandoval said he dreamed of seeing the United States Marine Corps enter his country to lift the blockade.

"We Venezuelans need help," he said. "We are fed up."