Trump's Caribbean Projects Hit $3 Billion, Airstrikes Continue

U.S. Military Conducts Airstrikes in Syria, Caribbean Operations Costing Billions

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military conducted a series of airstrikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria between February 3 and Thursday, in retaliation for a December ambush that killed U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, according to NPR News and NPR Politics. At the same time, the U.S. military's posture in the Caribbean has reached a price tag of nearly $3 billion, according to Fortune.

U.S. Central Command reported that American aircraft conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 IS targets, hitting weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure, as reported by NPR News and NPR Politics. The strikes were a response to the December ambush.

The cost of the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean is significant. Bloomberg calculations show the operational price tag of the ships deployed there hit more than $20 million a day at its peak from mid-November until mid-January, according to Fortune. The article also mentioned a specific operation where U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, early in the new year. The operation was described as concise and deliberate, involving special forces troops descending from helicopters.

In other news, the adventure-family film "Rocky the Troll," produced by the team behind the Netflix hit "Troll," has secured pre-sales in several territories, according to Variety. Sales outfit Reinvent Yellow is selling the film at the European Film Market in Berlin.