Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Thursday that national conscription will be initiated on August 23 and 24 to build up the Bolivarian Militia. According to Maduro, over 4.5 million citizens will be mobilized to join the national militia.

The militia personnel will be conscripted at headquarters of military units, Bolivar Square and 15,751 comprehensive defense bases across the country, Maduro noted. The militia, as one of the most outstanding civilian military services in Venezuelan history, is capable of responding to any emergencies quickly, according to Maduro.

This deployment of militia is a response to the threat by the U.S. sending warships to Venezuela in the name of combating drug cartels.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt has confirmed on August 19 that the U.S. have deployed three destroyers with 4,000 naval personnel in the Caribbean region. Earlier this month, the U.S. administration provided $50 million for information leading to Maduro's arrest, accusing him of having links to international drug trafficking.

On August 19, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized U.S. military maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela.

All disputes must be resolved through dialogue, Sheinbaum said, reiterating her government's call for "non-intervention" and the "self-determination of peoples."

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on August 10 called on Latin American countries to safeguard regional sovereignty against possible U.S. military operations to combat drug cartels in the region.

"Any military operation that is not approved by our sister countries is an attack on Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a fundamental contradiction to our principle of freedom," Petro warned in a post on social media platform X.

(With input from Xinhua)