United States President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday that he has authorised the CIA to carry out secret operations in Venezuela.The New York Times first disclosed the directive, quoting US officials who privately said the administration’s strategy is focused on removing President Nicolas Maduro from power.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump authorises CIA operations in Venezuela, says mulling land attacklist 2 of 4Torrential rains collapse Venezuelan gold mine killing 14list 3 of 4Trump administration carries out lethal strike in Caribbean, killing sixlist 4 of 4South Africa, Qatar are in, but who else has qualified for FIFA World Cup?end of listTrump also said his administration was mulling a land attack on Venezuela, amid sharply escalating tensions after multiple US strikes on Venezuelan boats in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks and a troop buildup in those waters ordered by the US president.Maduro appeared on national television Wednesday night, urging restraint and cautioning against any further escalation.“No to regime change that reminds us of the failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya … No to coups d’état carried out by the CIA … Latin America does not want them, does not need them, and rejects them,” said the Venezuelan president in response to Trump’s announcement.On Thursday, the US announced yet another strike on a boat in the Caribbean.So what might Trump be planning next? Are his moves legal? How has Venezuela responded, and what does history tell us about what covert CIA operations in Latin America might look like?What has Trump announced?“Why did you authorise the CIA to go into Venezuela?” a journalist asked the US president at a White House news conference.“I authorised for two reasons, really,” Trump said.“Number one, they [Venezuela] have emptied their prisons into the United States of America.“And the other thing are drugs. We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea, so you get to see that, but we’re going to stop them by land also,” he added.When asked if the CIA “had the authority to take out Maduro”, Trump demurred – refusing to rule out regime change, though not committing to it, either.“Oh, I don’t want to answer a question like that … That’s a ridiculous question for me to be given … not really a ridiculous question, but it would be a ridiculous question for me to answer. But I think Venezuela is feeling heat,” Trump added.What operations has the US already carried out?The US has now carried out six strikes on boats in Venezuelan waters, alleging that the vessels were involved in drug trafficking. These operations reportedly have resulted in the deaths of at least 27 people.Previous operations include: