Trinidadian forces have been placed on “STATE ONE ALERT LEVEL” and have been ordered to report to base, according to a message sent by the army seen by AFP.

Police said that “all leave is restricted” until further notice.

The island nation of Trinidad and Tobago is located just off Venezuela’s coast, and the mobilisation comes after the US carried out airstrikes on at least 15 alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing 62.

The alert caused panic in Port of Spain, where locals rushed to buy food and fuel, as witnessed by AFP reporters.

Officials urged calm and said “the government of Trinidad and Tobago is in active contact with the Embassy of the US in Port of Spain”.

In the name of curbing drug trafficking, Washington has deployed a massive military force, with eight US Navy ships to the Caribbean, F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, and an aircraft carrier strike group is en route to the region.

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who faces indictment on drug charges in the US, accused Washington of using drug trafficking as a pretext for “imposing regime change” in Caracas to seize Venezuelan oil.

However, US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he was not considering strikes against Venezuela, dialing back previous posturing.

“No,” Trump responded when asked by a journalist aboard Air Force One about reports that he was considering such strikes.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio delivered the same message, lambasting an article in the Miami Herald that said Washington’s forces were poised to hit Venezuela.