US Defense Secretary denies to confirm deployment of troops to Colombia

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Tuesday declined to say whether an option is being considered to deploy 5,000 U.S. troops to Colombia but added he had not discussed that possibility with White House national security adviser John Bolton.

Bolton raised questions about U.S. intentions in Venezuela after he appeared at a briefing on Monday with a notepad containing the words "5,000 troops to Colombia," which neighbours Venezuela. "I haven't discussed that with Secretary Bolton," Shanahan told a news conference at the Pentagon.