Colombian military 'on alert' over Venezuela border exercises

The head of Colombia's armed forces said on Wednesday the Colombian military is on a "special alert" due to exercises being conducted by Venezuela's armed forces near the nations' shared border. General Luis Fernando Navarro, the commander of Colombia's armed forces on Wednesday said that while there have been no incursions on Colombia's sovereignty, the country's military continues to monitor the border area for both action by Venezuelan armed forces as well as "organized armed groups."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly warned of an invasion from Colombia, coordinated by the U.S. government, but there is no evidence one is forthcoming. The U.S. government has said it wants to resolve Venezuela's crisis peacefully, either via negotiations or by forcing Maduro out of power through the use of crippling sanctions.