US military has new options to pursue group tied to Venezuela's Maduro, Pentagon says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's decision to designate an alleged drug cartel that the U.S. links to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a foreign terrorist organization provides the Pentagon with a range of new options, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. would designate the Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization, which makes it a crime for anyone in the U.S. to provide material support to the group.

Hegseth spoke with One America News and, in excerpts released on Thursday, was quoted as saying the designation "brings a whole bunch of new options to the United States."

Hegseth said Maduro is "not a legitimately elected leader of Venezuela" and repeated accusations that Maduro is involved in drug trafficking.

Maduro has denied such involvement.

It is unclear when the interview took place, but it will air on Thursday. 

U.S. ALLEGES CARTEL, GANG WORKING TOGETHER

U.S. officials have accused Cartel de los Soles of working with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which Washington previously designated a foreign terrorist organization, to send illegal narcotics to the U.S.

The Trump administration has alleged that Maduro leads Cartel de los Soles, which Maduro denies.

The designation will take effect on Monday.

Asked if the designation means the U.S. could strike Maduro's assets and infrastructure in Venezuela, Trump has said: "It allows us to do that, but we haven't said we're going to do that."

Trump has also said he may be open to talks with Maduro. 

The move comes amid a massive military buildup in the region, including the U.S. Navy's largest aircraft carrier, at least eight other warships, and F-35 aircraft. 

U.S. forces in the region have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing at least 83 people.

Human rights groups have condemned the strikes as illegal extrajudicial killings of civilians, and some U.S. allies have expressed growing concerns that Washington may be violating international law.

Maduro has repeatedly alleged the U.S. buildup is designed to drive him from power.

Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups that Maduro denies.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil StewartEditing by Rod Nickel)