00:00Approximately 108 U.S. military personnel left Tobago shortly before 8 a.m. on Monday
00:08on board Atlas Air dressed in full uniform, some even waving goodbye as they entered the aircraft.
00:16The departure of the U.S. troops follows the dismantling of the U.S. military radar last week
00:21and was signaled by Chief Secretary Farley Augustine when he indicated U.S. troops would
00:28leave Tobago in the coming days. When contacted for comment, Minister of Defense Wayne Sturge
00:35told TV6 News, quote, we are thankful for their assistance and support and look forward to their
00:43continuing our partnership, end quote. PNM Tobago Council political leader Ansel Dennis told TV6 News
00:51the government placed the lives of citizens at risk.
00:55It is sad that the government chose to mislead the population in this way, indicated to the
01:05population that this was about national security, but the fact that it is now being, or it has
01:15been removed already, should tell us clearly as a population that we will lie to, we will
01:21mislead, and our lives will be placed at risk.
01:26Mr. Dennis said Trinidad and Tobago is very fortunate to have escaped the war.
01:31Well, we have to count ourselves very fortunate that the situation in neighboring Venezuela
01:41Israel did not escalate to the point of open military conflict. Iran and that conflict that
01:52is happening now between them and Israel and the United States and their preferred response
02:01should demonstrate to us clearly what we will be able to avoid.
02:08Dennis said Trinidad and Tobago was spared a military conflict with neighboring Venezuela.
02:15Trinidad and Tobago could have been in a similar position at that situation in Venezuela escalated
02:24into a major military conflict like we are seeing now in the Middle East. So I'm happy that
02:31things did not turn out in that way. We escaped unscathed. And I hope that going forward, there
02:41will continue to be peace, not only in this country, but in the region. And I hope that we will
02:52never see
02:53the time again where this country or any other jurisdiction in the Caribbean could be occupied by any
03:00foreign military power in this way.
03:03Meantime political leader of the Innovative Democratic Alliance, Dr. Denise Zoya-Fatanga said
03:09the departure of the troops is a welcome sign of closure.
03:13Well, it's a great relief that we've closed a whole chapter, you know, in what we will call our history
03:24books
03:26concerning the radar and troops being in Tobago, because one would not have gone without the other.
03:34You had to have troops to really work to operate the radar. And therefore, both of them have finally gone,
03:41which means that, you know, I think we are dealing with closure. And I think that we can start looking
03:48ahead.
03:50Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
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